The Boy, the Tiger, and the Battle for Mamodo King
by AMX
Summary: After an accident involving Calvin's cardboard box, Calvin and Hobbes get stranded in a city in Japan, and end up in a wacky adventure that starts when they see a boy with a hawk flying towards the city...C&HZatch Bell crossover. No flames, please.
1. How it all began

_Hello. This is AMX. Some of you probably know me as the writer of "MXCC: Most Extreme Cartoon Elimination Challenge." This is my third fanfic, so I still might be a little rusty. I've always loved Calvin and Hobbes, and I've been watching Zatch Bell ever since it premiered. But I always thought this: "Calvin and Hobbes kind of remind me of a Mamodo's relationship with its bookholder. I wonder what they would do if they witnessed the events that happened on the show?" That's how this story was born_. _Like I said, I may still be rusty, so don't flame me too badly, okay?_

_Also, to avoid any long, legal procedures that you or I wouldn't understand, I guess I should tell you that I don't own Calvin and Hobbes or Zatch Bell by any means necessary._

_Note: This story is told in Calvin's POV. Enjoy.

* * *

_

Hi, my name's Calvin. I'm six years old and lead a pretty average life. I have a mom and dad, both of whom I drive nuts on a regular basis, there's this one girl that lives down the street I love to torment, and, I'm sorry to say, I have a teacher who I'm sure has it out for me, just like the school bully and my sadistic babysitter . . . but that's another story.

Anyway, I don't have many friends. I pretty much only have one friend, and he's a real live tiger! I don't care if you say he's just stuffed, he's _real_, I tell you! His name is Hobbes, and we get into all kinds of crazy adventures together. Whether it's seceding to the Yukon or fighting deranged mutant killer monster snow goons, Hobbes has always stood beside me. He's my best friend, and I like it that way.

Sure, there are times I have to be away from him (mostly during school, who needs it?) But I'm able to keep myself entertained by one of my many fantasies of space travel, dinosaurs, and more. Much more. But like I said before, that's another story.

One of our (well, my, anyway) favorite contraptions to play with may look like an ordinary cardboard box to you, but you're wrong. It can be a transmogrifier, a duplicator, a time machine . . . the list goes on and on. But on one particular day, I found another thing I could turn it into.

It all started when I thought of another way to get rich quick (that was also another hobby Hobbes and I had.) After working on my cardboard box for what seemed like forever, I ran into the house to get Hobbes, who was in my room looking at my comics (Oh, I wish he didn't do that!)

"Come outside, Hobbes!" I said excitedly. "We're going to be rich!"

"Oh, great," sighed Hobbes, who didn't seem the slightest bit interested. "Now what have you made?"

"Come out and I'll show you!" I said, still excited.

"All right, you piqued my curiosity," said Hobbes, who put down my comic and followed me outside. But as soon as he saw my box, he started to go back in the house. "Oh no," he said as he walked away. "That box is bad news. You just leave me out of this."

"Fine," I said, casually. "I'll just have to travel around the world with all these snacks by myself." Hobbes stopped when he heard "snacks." He loved to eat.

"What kind of snacks?" he asked. "And what's all this about traveling around the world?"

"Hobbes, I'd like to present to you my latest invention," I said proudly. "The one . . . the only . . . All Purpose Travel Pod!"

"'All Purpose Travel Pod?'" asked Hobbes.

"Yep!" I said. "We can travel all over the world with this baby! Once I patent it, we'll be millionaires!"

"Forgive me for stating the obvious," said Hobbes, "but isn't that what airplanes are for?"

"Well, sort of . . . " I began. I hadn't thought of that. But an idea immediately sprang into my head. "But with this, you pay no money, and there's none of those _blah _peanut snacks."

"So, where exactly do you plan to go in this thing?" asked Hobbes.

"I was thinking Japan," I responded. Before Hobbes could say anything, I continued. "Japan has _everything_, Hobbes. They have some of the most sleek technology in the world!"

But Hobbes still looked hesitant. He thought for a moment. "Well . . . okay," he said finally. "I'll go. But only because of the snacks."

"Good choice!" I said. "I also packed the essentials: our vortex goggles, a journal, the camera, a watch, my transmogrifier gun, some writing tools, a few dollars I had stashed under my mattress . . . "

"In that case, let's get going," said Hobbes, putting his goggles on and climbing into the All Purpose Travel Pod.

"My thoughts exactly!" I said, climbing in as well and putting on my goggles. "Okay, all I have to do is set the Autopilot feature to Japan, and . . . OFF WE GO!"

And just like that, the All Purpose Travel Pod lifted off the ground and pretty soon, we were sailing high above my back yard. We were then zooming away from my house at high speed, high above all the houses in my town. We were up near the clouds. It was beautiful. However, after an hour or so, it was beginning to get a little boring seeing nothing but the sky and clouds above, and the sea below. I began to feel tired, and as I looked over at Hobbes, I saw he was tired, too. I struggled to keep my eyes open, but I was just so tired that all of the sudden I blacked out . . .

* * *

Hobbes and I woke up at the same time. We were both jolted awake by the All Purpose Travel Pod being hit by something. We peeked out of the top. We must have been asleep for a while, because it was now nighttime. Or maybe it was the change in hours. It was hard to tell. But we did see something down below that got our spirits up. Land! There was land under us. But there was one problem . . .

"_Is it just me, or is that land coming up fast?_" I thought. I think that's when my stomach flew into my throat. The land _was _coming up fast! We were diving right toward a hill! "Brace yourself!" I shouted to Hobbes.

We hit the ground hard. Very hard. The Travel Pod screeched across the ground for a while before we were thrown out of it. We landed a few feet in front of the Travel Pod, and I looked back to see the damage.

"Oh no!" I yelled. "The Travel Pod!"

"Nope, no broken stitches or bones," said Hobbes. "Thanks for asking."

I looked back at him. "Are you being sarcastic again?" I asked. I then turned my attention back to our means of transportation. "Look at this!" I yelled. "The Travel Pod is totally wrecked! I'll have to make a whole new one!" It was true. The front part of the Travel Pod had been totally ripped off. It was beyond repair.

"Are you saying . . . we're _stranded_?" asked Hobbes.

"Let's not worry, Hobbes," I said. "See? There's a city right over there." I then pointed to a brightly lit city. "All I have to do is find a place that has boxes, and we'll be out of here in no time."

"Huh," said Hobbes. "Do you think there's tuna in that city?" he then asked, licking his lips.

I sighed. Hobbes' favorite food was tuna. "I don't know . . . " I began. Just then, I saw something up in the sky. "HOLY COW!" I yelled, pointing. "WHAT'S THAT?"

Hobbes looked where I was pointing. "Big deal. It's just a hawk . . . OH! I see it now! Is that . . . is that a _kid _riding it?"

I squinted. There was, indeed, a small kid riding the big bird. He had blond hair, gold-colored eyes, and he had what seemed to be a vertical line under each eye that made him look like a puppet. And the weirdest thing of all, he didn't have a shirt on. All he had on was underwear! We watched as they headed to the bright lights.

"Look's like they're headed toward that city themselves!" I said.

"I wonder where they're going?" asked Hobbes.

"I don't know," I said. Then I yawned. "But let's worry about it when it's light out. We might as well go to sleep."

"Fine by me," said Hobbes. He jumped back into the Travel Pod and immediately went to sleep. I, on the other hand, got the journal out and began to write.

_Day 1:_

_Hobbes and I have crash-landed on unknown territory. It's probably a part of Japan, but I don't know yet. We just saw the weirdest thing. A young boy who looked like a puppet in his underwear was riding a hawk_. _We don't know what they're doing, but we're not going to worry about that now. Tomorrow, we're going to find another box so I can make a new Travel Pod. This is Calvin, signing out._

I then closed the journal and snuggled up next to Hobbes. I fell asleep a little while after that. As I did, I smiled.I could only imagine what we'd find in that city in the morning . . .

* * *

_Well, that's the first chapter. I really hope I get some good reviews for this story._


	2. The Lightning House

When I awoke, the sun was up. But because of the change in time zones, I couldn't rely on my watch to show me what time it is. I looked over at Hobbes. He was just waking up, too.

"Morning," yawned Hobbes. "What time is it?"

"I don't know," I answered. "But I'm sure there's a clock somewhere in the city. Let's get going."

"Okay," said Hobbes.

"But first thing's first," I said. "Who's gonna carry the Travel Pod?"

"What?" asked Hobbes. "Why the heck do we need it? I thought you said you couldn't fix it."

"Until I find another box, it's our only means of storage and shelter, Hobbes," I said. "We can't just leave it here."

"Fine," said Hobbes. "I'll carry it. Can I at least have a snack?"

"Go ahead," I said. "Just don't eat it all. We might not be leaving here too quickly."

And with that, Hobbes and I started toward the big city. We didn't talk for a while, but then Hobbes broke the silence.

"Do you think we'll see that kid again?" he asked me.

"Who?" I asked. Then I remembered last night. "Oh, the one riding the hawk! I almost forgot!" I thought for a moment while looking at the city. We were almost there. "I don't know, Hobbes. That's a big city. He could be anywhere by now."

"I guess you're right," said Hobbes.

* * *

"Well, we made it!" I said. We had just entered the edge of the city. It looked like a little neighborhood, because there were a lot of houses. "The first thing we should do is find a clock so I can set my . . . "

"WOAH!" Hobbes suddenly interrupted me. "LOOK AT THAT!" he yelled, pointing at something and dropping the Travel Pod.

I looked at where he was pointing. My eyes bugged.I couldn't believe what I saw. In the middle of the group of houses, I saw a big burst of lightning suddenly shoot out! It was a good thing I caught a glimpse of it because just like that, it was gone!

"We'd better take a look!" I said.

"Right!" answered Hobbes, picking up the Travel Pod. We began to run to where we saw the lightning shoot out.

However, because we were running so fast, by the time we had reached the place where we had seen the lightning, we were completely out of breath. Hobbes and I collapsed on the sidewalk, gasping for air.

"Calvin . . . " I heard Hobbes gasp. "Look!" He pointed across the street.

My eyes widened. We had found the house we were looking for. On the second story, there was a big hole in the wall where there should have been a window.

"Where do you think that lightning came from?" I asked.

"Someone's coming!" Hobbes whispered.

"Ack! Quick, hide!" I whispered back. We dove into the bushes with the Travel Pod, and looked to see who was coming out.

It was a boy. A tall boy. He had short brown hair and brown eyes. He had a school uniform on, so my guess was he was going to school. However, there were just a few things I found . . . strange. He looked a little beat up. And he looked angry about something. My guess was that he didn't want to go to school (if that was the case, I couldtotally relate.)

"Do you think that guy knows anything about the lightning we saw?" Hobbes whispered to me.

"He must have, if it happened in his house," I whispered back. "We'd better get a picture of this."

Hobbes handed me the camera. I made sure it was in focus, and then I zoomed in on the big hole in the wall. _Click_. I took the picture.

"Ooh, look!" Hobbes whispered to me after I had taken it. "Someone else is coming out!" We watched the door in complete silence.

But when we saw the person come out, my eyes got big. I looked over at Hobbes. He looked as shocked as I was. "I don't believe it!" I whispered. "It's the boy from last night!"

And sure enough, it was. It was the same blond-haired puppet boy Hobbes and I had seen last night. Only . . .

"Why the heck's he wearing that gym bag?" asked Hobbes.

"Look," I said. "He's following that other boy." We watched as the puppet boy silently ran after the angry-looking boy. "Something's going on here, and we're gonna find out what, Hobbes." I said, determined.

"Calvin, are you sure?" asked Hobbes. "What if _they _caused that lightning? They could hurt us!"

"Maybe they will, and maybe they won't," I responded. "But I won't rest until I find out what the heck's going on."

And with that, I jumped out of the bushes and started running down the sidewalk.

"All right," said Hobbes, climbing out of the bushes with our Travel Pod. "But on one condition."

I stopped running. "What's that?" I asked. All of the sudden, I was lying under the Travel Pod, which Hobbes had justchucked at me.

"It's your turn to carry that thing!" said Hobbes.

So now with me carrying the Travel Pod, Hobbes and I hurried down the sidewalk, making sure we didn't lose sight of the puppet boy or the angry-looking boy.

"_Wow, we've only been here a day, and we've already found something exciting,_" I thought. "_Who knows where this is going to take us?_"


	3. A New Adventure

After walking for a little while, Hobbes and I learned that it wasn't easy finding our way around this big city. It was nothing like our home town. We also learned that Puppet Boy was fast for a little guy. He had reached the top of a hill in the sidewalk when we had just gotten to the bottom of it. By the time we got to the top (which wasn't easy for me, since I was carrying the big Travel Pod,) he was gone! There was no sign of the angry-looking boy either.

"Great," I said. "Now what?"

"Hey, look," said Hobbes. He was pointing to a huge clock that was on the front of an equally huge building. It kind of reminded me of the office where my dad worked. "At least now you can set your watch."

"Yeah, I guess," I said. Handing the Travel Pod to Hobbes, I changed my watch to the correct time in this city. It was aquarter after eight in the morning, according to the clock. "_That makes sense, since the angry-looking boy was heading for school,_" I thought to myself. I then turned to Hobbes. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Well, the school that boy goes to has got to be here somewhere," said Hobbes. "While we're looking for it, I suggest we explore the city."

"Fine by me," I said. "What do you think they have here?"

"Only one way to find out," Hobbes said. He started down the hill, handing the Travel Pod back to me as he passed. Sighing, I started running after him.

Surprisingly, the city had a lot of places similar to my home town. It had different restaurants, stores, libraries, and much more. Hobbes and I wanted to see them all. I wanted to take pictures of everything, but I decided against it. I was going to use the pictures for things I found weird, like the big hole in the house.

We must have gone through every store in the city, and somewhere along the way, we got hungry and ate a little bit of the sandwiches (of course, I had to remind Hobbes not to eat it all andthat we might be here a while.) But through all this, we still couldn't find any schools, and there was still no sign of Puppet Boy or the angry-looking boy.

"They've got to be somewhere in this city," Hobbes said to me after we had searched for who knows how long. "What time is it?"

"It's . . . " I glanced down at my watch. "NO WAY!" I suddenly yelled. "How could it be that time already?"

Hobbes ran over and looked at my watch. "WOAH!" He yelled. "It's already 3:00 p.m.!"

"How on earth did all the time go by?" I asked.

"We must have been so distracted, we lost track of time," said Hobbes.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, I usually get out of school around this time," I said. "Maybe we can still find the angry-looking boy and Puppet boy. But where could they be?"

"Hey, we haven't checked that building yet," said Hobbes, pointing behind us.

It was a pretty big building. I looked over at the sign next to it. It read: JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL.

"Oh," I said, a little embarrassed. "This must be the place."

We ran up to the building and peeked through the window.

"Hey, Calvin," whispered Hobbes. "Look! I see him!"

"Who, Puppet Boy?" I asked.

"No, the other guy," said Hobbes. "See? He's walking down that hallway."

I looked at where Hobbes was pointing. Sure enough, there was the angry-looking boy, walking down the hallway. He was now rounding a corner at the end of the hall.

"Then that's where we're going, too," I said.

"Are you sure?" asked Hobbes. "We might not be allowed in there."

"Aw, come on, Hobbes," I said. "It's obviously after school hours. Nobody's even gonna know we're there."

"All right," sighed Hobbes, picking the Travel Pod up.

So Hobbes and I silently walked into the big school, and started walking down the hall where we saw the angry-looking boy. The only problem was when we got to the beginning of a hallway, the angry-looking boy was already rounding the corner at the other end of the hall! That caused us to pick up the pace a little bit. We had to be on full alert, so not to lose our way. Finally, after a long period of running, we ended up at a door.

"Where do you think this goes?" I asked.

"Hmm . . . " said Hobbes, who was tall enough to see the sign on the door. "According to this, there's a staircase behind this door that leads to the roof."

"Then the angry-looking boy must be going up to the roof!" I concluded.

"But . . . why?" asked Hobbes.

"I'm not really sure, but there's only one way to find out!" I said. And with that, I opened the door. Behind it was a very big and very long staircase.

"We have to climb up all those?" asked Hobbes.

"Aw, quit whining," I said. "It's the only way we'll find out what's going on."

So Hobbes and I started up the stairs, holding the Travel Pod between us as we climbed. But the stairs were longer than I expected, so it began to seem like we would _never _make it to the top. And since there weren't many lights in the room, we had to be careful, so we didn't trip. But after what I thought seemed like _forever_, we made it to the end.

There wasn't much at the top. Just a few empty boxes and a door that lead to the outside.

"Hey, Calvin!" Hobbes said excitedly. "Do you think you can make a new Travel Pod from one of those boxes?"

I looked at them. "Sorry, Hobbes, but they will never do," I said. "They're all too small to fit the both of us and all of our supplies."

"Okay, Mr. Picky," said Hobbes, disgusted. "So where's the angry-looking boy, anyway?"

That's when we heard it. Voices. They were coming from outside. That's when I saw the little window in the big door.

"Hobbes, quick!" I whispered. "Give me a boost!"

I got up on my friend's shoulders, and I peeked through the little window. But all I could see was the back of three people. One of the people was a girl whom I had never seen before, but I recognized the other two. One was the angry-looking boy. The other was Puppet Boy. And . . . was the angry-looking boy holding a book? Yes! He was! It was a red glowing book. Wait a minute. Books don't glow! And . . . was Puppet Boy glowing yellow?

"Hobbes, give me the camera, now!" I said. Hobbes quickly passed the camera up to me. I focused as fast as I could before anything could happen. _Click_.

I took the picture just as some shock wave forced Hobbes and me backward. But I was still on Hobbes' shoulders, so I could still see everything. I was dumbstruck. There was actually lightning shooting out of Puppet Boy's mouth!

"Oh my gosh!" I said to Hobbes. "Puppet Boy is the one who made that lightning!"

"Are you sure?" asked Hobbes, bracing himself against the shock wave.

"I'm seeing it with my own eyes, Hobbes!" I yelled. "I'm sure of it! Hey, it's dying down."

And just like that, the lightning disappeared, and so did the shockwave. Hobbes quickly ran back to the window.

When I peeked out, my eyes bugged again. The roof was pretty much destroyed. There was a big groove in it where the lightning had struck. Debris was everywhere. Also, I could see the girl, the angry-looking boy, and Puppet Boy standing there. All three of them looked completely frazzled from the attack. But then I began to panic.

"They're coming this way!" I whispered to Hobbes. "We gotta hide!"

"Where? Where?" asked Hobbes. Then I got an idea.

Hobbes and I positioned the Travel Pod so you couldn't see the writing or the missing side, and crawled under it.

"Now we look just like another one of those boxes," I whispered to Hobbes.

"Shhh!" Hobbes responded.

We then heard the sound of footsteps going down the stairs. We didn't move, and dared not make a sound until the footsteps were barely audible.

"Okay," I whispered. Hobbes and I crawled out of the Travel Pod.

"Shooting lightning out of your mouth?" asked Hobbes. "That's not human."

"I know," I said. "Isn't it cool!"

"No!" said Hobbes. "That lightning just blew up that roof!"

"All the better reason to keep an eye on those two boys," I said. "Come on. We're going back to their house."

"What?" asked Hobbes. "How are we even gonna find it?"

"Easy," I said. "It's the only one with a big hole in the wall."

"Oh, yeah," said Hobbes. "But don't they think it will be suspicious that a box is in their front yard?"

"We'll hide the Travel Pod and sleep out in the yard," I said. "Now come on!"

So Hobbes and I, carrying the Travel Pod between us once again, started down the stairs. Luckily, it was easier to go down the stairs that going up them. We were down at the bottom in nothing flat.

We then found our way out of the school, which was pretty much empty by now. Before Hobbes and I knew it, we were backtracking through the big city, trying to find the house with the hole in it.

By the time we had actually found the house, it was getting dark.

"We gotta set up quick," I said to Hobbes.

We then set up the Travel Pod discreetly in the bushes next to the house, so it now acted like a little tent for the both of us. By this time, it was now night.

"Well, I'm gonna hit the hay," said Hobbes. "Good night." He then crawled into the tent and fell asleep.

I took out the journal and began to write again.

_Day 2:_

_Well, it seems Hobbes and I are on a new adventure. And get this: it involves Puppet Boy and some angry-looking boy with a red book! Who is Puppet Boy, where did he come from, and how the heck can he shoot lightning out of his mouth? That's what Hobbes and I are going to find out! This is Calvin, signing out._

I then snuggled up next to Hobbes and fell asleep.


	4. The Bank Robbery

_Before I present the next chapter, I'd like to give a very grateful thank-you to legendofzeldarocks for reading this. I'm very glad you like my stories! Thank you so much!_

_So, without further ado, onto the next chapter!

* * *

_

The next morning, it took me a while to wake up. I was so sleepy. But I finally forced myself awake so I could see what was happening outside.

The sun was already up. I looked at my watch. It was about 9:00 AM. I quickly ran back into the Travel Pod and woke Hobbes up.

"Hobbes, come on!" I said. "It's already 9:00 in the morning!"

"Really?" asked Hobbes. "It doesn't feel like 9:00 in the morning."

"I know. . ." I said. "But then again, we _are _in another time zone. There's bound to be differences."

"I guess you're right," said Hobbes.

"Come on," I said. "We'd better get into town. The angry-looking boy's already at school."

"Wait, Calvin!" said Hobbes. "Let's think for a second! If we're in another time zone, then doesn't that mean the days go by differently, too?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. . ." I said. "So, if we left on Wednesday afternoon, and it was night when we got here, then we were here all day yesterday, because of the change in time zones. . ."

". . .Today's Saturday." concluded Hobbes.

"Oh, man!" I said. "My brain hurts! But you're right, Hobbes. It should be Saturday."

"Then we didn't lose the angry-looking boy or Puppet Boy!" said Hobbes. "Hopefully, they're still at home!"

"Then I guess we have nothing to worry about!" I said. "But let's explore the town, anyway."

"Good idea!" said Hobbes. "Now we can look for another box!"

"And just in case, I'm bringing the camera," I said, grabbing it. "After yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw anything else weird in that city."

* * *

So Hobbes and I walked to the center of the city again, this time leaving the Travel Pod in the angry-looking boy's bushes. We looked all over once again, this time for a box. However, looking through all the stores we had gone through the day before, we just couldn't find a decent enough box. 

By the time we had gotten to the last store, we were both tired and hungry.

"What's this store?" I asked Hobbes.

"Look's like a TV store," said Hobbes, looking through the window. "And there's a pretty intense cop show on all of the TV's right now."

"What?" I asked. I peered into the window, too. My eyes got big. "Hobbes, I don't think this is a show. I swear we passed that bank on the TV!"

"What!" asked Hobbes. "But if we passed that bank, why didn't anything happen while _we _were there?"

"It must have happened after we passed it!" I said. "Come on!"

"What, we're going back there?" asked Hobbes.

"We gotta!" I said. "Something weird might happen, and I want a picture of it!"

"All right. . ." mumbled Hobbes, running behind me.

* * *

By the time we had gotten to the bank, there was already a big crowd gathered. There were people in blue uniforms (Hobbes and I guessed they were the police) with shields in between the crowd and the bank, probably so nobody else could get hurt. Over the chattering of the crowd, we could hear the police talking amongst themselves. They were talking about a crazy junior high boy and a small blond-haired boy wearing a blue dress-like outfit that had launched themselves into the bank. 

"Calvin!" Hobbes whispered to me after we had heard this.

"I know!" I whispered back. "Puppet Boy and the angry-looking boy must have beaten us here."

"What can we do?" asked Hobbes.

"Nothing, I guess . . ." I said. ". . . Except wait."

So, with the rest of the equally agitated crowd, Hobbes and I waited. And waited. And waited. After what had seemed like forever, something took us by surprise. All of the sudden, a big jolt came out from the bank, and a flash of light appeared. I swear, everyone in the crowd must have jumped at the sudden noise.

All the police ran into the bank at once. The whole crowd held their breath in anticipation. Who knows what they would find in there?

What came back out was astounding for everyone. Out came the police, along with all the hostages that were being held (one we recognized as the girl we saw on the roof yesterday) and the angry-looking boy and Puppet Boy. However, Hobbes and I could hear the police talking again. Apparently, the two people who had caused the whole problem in the first place had escaped.

But that didn't matter to the crowd. There were all kinds of newspaper people there, and they were busy taking pictures of the angry-looking boy and Puppet Boy. I looked around in satisfaction, but as I did, something caught my eye.

Right next to the curb, parked right outside the bank, was a limo. I looked around again. Nobody else seemed to notice this limo. But to me, it just looked. . .I don't know, out of place. It wasn't interacting with the crowd in any way whatsoever. I took a good look at the limo and realized the window was open. And the person looking out of the window intrigued me even more.

It was a girl. She had long, blond hair and a purple dress. "_Judging by that limo, I'd say she's rich,_" I thought to myself. "_But then . . . why does she look so unhappy?_" It was true. She didn't look very happy. She just had a deadpan expression on her face. Like she didn't even care.

"_I'd better take a picture of this_," I thought. I quickly took out the camera and focused on the girl and a good portion of the limo. _Click_.

"What are you doing?" asked Hobbes.

"Uh . . . nothing," I said, putting the camera away. The limo was now driving away from the bank. "Well, not much luck looking for a box today, Hobbes. We might as well head back."

"Fine by me," said Hobbes.

We walked all the way back to the angry-looking boy's house in silence.

* * *

Before we had known it, darkness was already falling, and Hobbes and I were discussing the day's events. 

"Pretty intense day, huh?" I asked Hobbes.

"Yeah," said Hobbes. "You coming to bed?"

"In a minute," I responded. Hobbes crawled into the Travel Pod and fell asleep. I, however, couldn't sleep just yet. I couldn't stop thinking about the girl in the limo. I got out my journal and began to write.

_Day 3:_

_A robbery at the bank happened today. However, from what Hobbes and I could find out, the angry-looking boy and Puppet Boy saved a bunch of hostages. Also, I saw a strange rich girl today. I wonder who she is?And why did she look sosad? I'll probably never know.This is Calvin, signing out._

I then snuggled up next to Hobbes and fell asleep.

* * *

_Well, that's the new chapter. Please review!_


	5. Lightning vs Ice, part 1

Surprisingly, nothing exciting happened for a few days. But the day after the robbery, there was a big article on it in the newspaper. Since it only cost a quarter, Hobbes and I were able to buy one. After reading it, we finally found out the names of the angry-looking boy and Puppet Boy.

According to the newspaper, the angry-looking boy's name was Kiyo Takamine, and Puppet Boy's name was Zatch Bell.

"Geez, those are some weird names," said Hobbes, after we had finished reading the big article.

"Well, duh, Hobbes," I said. "I mean, think about it. Japan isn't exactly like our town. They have different things, different customs. . ."

"Different time zones," yawned Hobbes. "I stilldon't think I can get used to this."

"We have to as long as we're stuck here," I said. "Now come on. We gotta find some way to pass the time until 3:00." It was Monday, so Kiyo was off at school.

"All right, all right. . ." mumbled Hobbes. "Where do you want to go today?"

"Oh, I don't care," I said.

* * *

And with that, we started off. But while Hobbes and I were walking, I was thinking. And it must have shown.

"Are you _sure _you don't want to talk about anything?" asked Hobbes.

"Uh. . .no," I said. I didn't think Hobbes would understand, since he didn't see what I saw the day of the bank robbery. Of course, I'm talking about the blond-haired girl.

It just didn't make any sense to me. How could someone who was rich looked so sad? I mean, if that were _me _in that limo, I would have at least smiled. But she looked downright depressed. _Why?

* * *

_

Even though I decided that it shouldn't be any of my business, I just couldn't do it. The blond-haired girl's sad face just couldn't escape my mind. And it stuck in my mind all day. Which meant Hobbes was bugging me all day.

"Come on, come on," said Hobbes. "What're you thinking?"

"All right, I tell you!" I said. "Listen, you remember the bank robbery?"

"Well, yeah. . ." said Hobbes.

"I saw something else there," I said. "Something. . .odd."

"Odd?" asked Hobbes. "What was it?"

"A limo," I mumbled.

"A limo?" asked Hobbes. "How does that qualify as "odd"?"

"Well. . ." I began, ". . .let me ask you this: how would you feel if you were rich?"

"I'd feel great!" said Hobbes immediately. "All that money equals all those babes!"

"Well, the weird thing is that the girl I saw in the limo sure didn't look like she felt great," I said. "She seemed downright miserable!"

"Miserable?" asked Hobbes. "Why would anyone who's rich be miserable?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out all day," I said. "But I just can't seem to think of anything logical."

"I guess so," said Hobbes. "But. . .hey, what time is it?"

"Oops!" I said, checking my watch. "Good thing you said that! It's already 3:00!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Hobbes. "Let's get over to the school so we can spy on Kiyo some more!"

By the time we got to the school, everyone was gone.

"Awww. . ." I moaned. "We're too late."

"Hey, what's that?" asked Hobbes. He pointed over to a valley a few meters away from the school. And there was an all-too-familiar lightning bolt shooting out from it.

"Maybe we're not too late," I said. "Come on!"


	6. Lightning vs Ice, part 2

Hobbes and I finally made it to the top of the hill, and looked down. It _was _Zatch and Kiyo. There were two other guys down there, too. And they definitely intrigued me.

"Hobbes, look at that one kid!" I said to him.

"That blue-haired kid?" asked Hobbes. "Hey, yeah! He looks like Zatch! And that one guy's got a blue book like Zatch's, too."

"Man, look at that guy," I added. "He sure looks loaded." It was true. The guy had on a pretty fancy suit. The blue-haired kid, however, was in rags.

"What do you think they're doing?" asked Hobbes.

"I don't know," I said. "But they're definitely talking. I wish I could hear what they were saying. You've got good ears, Hobbes. Can you hear them?"

"Not really. . ." Hobbes began. "Ooh, wait! I definitely heard Kiyo shout something just now. It sounded like. . . 'Zaker'."

At that moment, a huge bolt of lightning shot out from Zatch.

"Now the other guy's shouting something!" Hobbes continued. "It almost sounds like. . . 'Gikor'."

This time, I saw a big chunk of ice shoot out from the blue-haired kid.

"Hobbes, I think I'm beginning to understand this," I said. "Kids like Zatch and that blue-haired kid, they must be special. You have to say a certain word from those books-it's like a spell or something-and then something happens."

"That one guy's shouting something else!" said Hobbes. ". . . 'Freezudo'."

"Hobbes, look!" I exclaimed. "Something's happening to Kiyo's feet. Is that. . . is that _ice_?"

"Considering what that 'Gikor' spell did, I'm not that surprised." said Hobbes.

"I guess so. . . . " I said. "But how's Kiyo gonna fight when his feet are frozen solid?"

"I don't know. . ." began Hobbes. "That other guy's launching another 'Gikor' spell!"

"Oh, man," I said. The giant chunks of ice the blue-haired kid shot out were headed straight for Kiyo and Zatch. "If one of those ice chunks did that much damage, how are they gonna survive that many?"

"I think Kiyo's gonna do something!" said Hobbes. "He's flipping through the pages of the book. . . he's saying another spell, I think. . . 'Rashield'!"

At that moment, a giant yellow shield with a lightning bolt on it sprung out of the ground right in front of Zatch and Kiyo. The giant ice chunks were stopped by the shield.

"Woo-hoo!" I yelled. "They did it, Hobbes! Zatch and Kiyo stopped the giant ice chunks!"

"Wait!" Hobbes said back. "Something else is happening!"

It was true. A bolt of electricity surged through the ice chunks, and all of the sudden, they were chucked back toward the other guy and the blue-haired kid. The ice hit both of them head-on.

"Woah!" I said, excited. "Not only does the shield protect Kiyo and Zatch from oncoming attacks, it sends the attack back at their enemies with an added burst of electricity!"

"Are those guys okay?" asked Hobbes.

We looked back at the scene. Kiyo was holding the blue-haired kid, who looked injured.

"Hobbes. . ." I said, squinting. "I think that kid's book is on fire."

"Yeah. . ." Hobbes began. But he didn't have time to finish.

All of the sudden, the blue-haired boy jumped out of Kiyo's arms, ran over to the burning book, and started to try and put it out.

"Is that kid crazy!" asked Hobbes. "He's gonna get burned!"

"Hobbes, something's happening!" I exclaimed.

The blue-haired kid suddenly became translucent. I'm not kidding. The kid was actually disappearing.

"What in the world!" asked Hobbes. "It's as if the kid is bound to the book! If the book goes, the kid goes!"

"Yeah!" I said. "Oh, look! He's almost gone. . ."

We watched as the blue-haired boy became more and more transparent, until finally, as the last of the book burned, the boy vanished.

"What. . . what do you make of that?" asked Hobbes.

"I don't. . ." I began, glancing to the left. I stopped. I could feel the blood rush from my face. "Hobbes, look to your left," I whispered. "Quick!"

Hobbes looked over to where I was looking. There, just to the left of us, was the same blond-haired girl that I had seen just yesterday. She still had that same, deadpan expression from the day before.

"Is that the girl you were talking about before?" Hobbes whispered to me.

But I was too shocked to speak. All I could do was nod.

"You were right," said Hobbes. "She does look depressed."

I still couldn't answer. I had just realized something: there was somebody else with her.

The boy was about as tall as Hobbes, and my guess was that he was what we call "Goth." His skin was white, and he had purple hair, with an outfit and eyeliner to match the color. He looked as deadpan as the blond-haired girl.

"_Were they watching the battle the entire time?_" I thought. "_They don't seem the slightest bit fazed. . ._"

My thoughts were interrupted, however. All of the sudden, the blond-haired girl turned around and began to walk away, the Goth boy following.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any freakier, they did. The Goth boy suddenly stopped, and, without warning, looked right at me. Of course, I knew it wasn't polite to stare, but I just couldn't look away. But then again,I guess it's not every day you see a small blond-haired boy sitting on the top of a hill in Japan with his tiger.

The Goth boy and I just stared at each other for a few seconds, then, just as fast as it started, it stopped. The Goth boy looked away and started walking in the same direction as the blond-haired girl.

Hobbes and I sat there in silence for a few more seconds. "Well. . ." said Hobbes, breaking the silence. ". . . that was weird."

I nodded.

"Should we head back to Kiyo's house?" asked Hobbes.

I looked back down at the scene. The big chunks of ice were still there, electricity still sparking off them. "Hang on," I said, taking out my camera. "I need to get a picture of this." I slowly focused on the big chunks of electric ice. _Click._

I looked back at Hobbes. "Now we can go," I said, feeling a bit overwhelmed. Hobbes and I didn't speak at all on the way back to Kiyo's house.

* * *

That night, I thought for a long time before finally writing in my journal.

_Day 4:_

_Today Hobbes and I watched Kiyo (the angry-looking boy) and Zatch Bell (Puppet Boy) fight a rich guy and a Zatch lookalike. All of the things that happened, it's just so overwhelming. I also saw that blond-haired girl again today. She had a creepy Goth boy with her, and he totally freaked me out. I don't know why, but I have a feeling they're going to turn up again real soon. This is Calvin, signing out._

I then snuggled up next to Hobbes and fell asleep.


	7. The Blond Haired Girl

". . .vin. Calvin!"

I finally opened my eyes to see what Hobbes wanted. What time was it? Where were we? . . .Oh yeah. We're stranded in Japan. We're observing Kiyo Takamine and Zatch Bell. We need to find a working box, too. I looked down at my watch. I then looked up and glared at Hobbes.

"Please tell me you've been tampering with this watch," I said.

"Nope. Sorry," said Hobbes. "It really is 1:00 in the afternoon."

"Why the heck didn't you wake me up!" I asked, very annoyed. "We still need to observe Kiyo and Zatch! We need to find another box before we run out of food and money! We can't do that when I'm asleep!"

"Well, I just thought after what happened yesterday, it was better if you rested," said Hobbes. "And. . .um. . .about our food supply. . ."

"You ate all the food?" I yelled before he could finish.

"I'm sorry!" said Hobbes. "I was hungry!"

I quickly ran into what was left of the Travel Pod and got our money bag. "Okay," I said, trying to stay calm. "There's only a few dollars left in this bag. We need to make them last long enough for us to get another box. Hopefully, we can find a shop in town that sells cheap food. Now let's go."

Hobbes and I walked toward the city in silence.

* * *

We found the grocery store in the city, and we were able to buy a few small food items for a few cents.

"I guess this will have to do for now," I said as Hobbes and I walked out of the store. "But we can't eat it all at once, okay?"

"Okay," said Hobbes. "I'm sorry, Calvin."

"Aw, it's okay," I said. "I guess I did take things a little hard." At this point, we were walking next to a park. "I guess now we should try and find Kiyo and Zatch. . ."

"Hey, isn't that Kiyo and Zatch right there?" asked Hobbes, pointing at the park. I looked over. There, along with a group of kids, were Kiyo and Zatch.

"Good eyes, Hobbes!" I said. "Let's see what they're doing!" We got up a little closer and hid in some bushes.

"Woah, they don't look too happy with each other," said Hobbes. "I can't hear what they're shouting at each other."

Just then, a small rumble of thunder was heard. Hobbes and I looked up. Dark clouds were coming in.

"Looks like a storm's coming," I said to Hobbes.We lookedback down."Oh, look! Kiyo's leaving!"

We watched as Kiyo walked away, leaving poor Zatch by himself.

"Now what?" asked Hobbes.

"We'll have to split up," I said. "You stay here and keep an eye on Zatch, while I follow Kiyo."

"You got it," said Hobbes. "Just make sure Kiyo doesn't see you."

"Relax," I said. "I've got the camera and the transmogrifier gun with me. They're perfect spy materials. You just make sure that Zatch sees you."

"Hold up," said Hobbes. "Why does Zatch have to see me?"

"My guess is that he'll go back to Kiyo's house when he's ready," I said. "If he finds you, he'll probably bring you back with him. And right now, I have to make sure I don't lose Kiyo. Let's go!"

Hobbes and I made our way to the park's entrance where Kiyo left. I left Hobbes at the entrance in plain sight.

"Knock 'em dead, buddy!" I said.

"Okay," said Hobbes. "Good luck!"

I started back to Kiyo's house. By now, I had the route memorized. But as I was walking, I felt something. Was that. . .a drop? I looked up. It was! It was a drop! It was starting to rain!

"_Oh no!_" I thought. "_I was afraid of this! And I left Hobbes all by himself! Please let me be right about Zatch finding him!_"

My walk quickened to a run. It probably didn't matter how fast I was running. I was getting soaked all the same.

After what seemed like forever, I made it back to Kiyo's house. I peeked around the brick wall next to the sidewalk to see if anything was going on. I focused on the bushes where the Travel Pod was. That was when I got my first shock.

The rain was beating down on the poor Travel Pod! As the drops fell on the flimsy box, I could see it bend more and more, getting crushed by the impact of each rain drop. So now we had no food, hardly any money, and, to top it all off, Hobbes' and my only means of shelter was getting crushed! Fuming, my eyes began to trace back to the doorway. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, they did.

I watched in silence as the blond-haired girl and the Goth boy entered Kiyo's house, and I watched as the door shut behind them. "_Oh no,_" I thought. "_What do I do now? Those two are bad news. I just know it! If only I could go in and get a closer look. . ._"

"_. . .Wait! I can!_" I thought suddenly. I quickly took out my transmogrifier gun, and ran up to the front door. I slowly opened the door, stepped inside Kiyo's house, and quietly shut the door behind me. I didn't care if I was soaking wet, I just needed to know what was going on up there. I pointed the transmogrifier gun to my face. "_Think small. Think small. . ._" I thought fiercely. I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger.

_ZAP!_

When I opened my eyes again, I could definitely tell that something had changed. I made my way over to a full length mirror on the wall. I looked at myself. What stared back was a small, ordinary-looking fly. The transmogrifier gun had worked! I was a fly!

"_Now,_" I thought, looking up toward the stairs, "_it's time to get to the bottom of this. Or, the top I guess, since I'm going upstairs._"

I flew up the stairs as fast as my new wings could propel me. I stopped at the first door after the stairs. It was open just slightly, and I could hear voices on the other side. I immediately knew who the voices belonged to. Since I was a fly, nobody noticed me flying in through the crack and getting comfortable in a corner of the ceiling where I could see everything.

The blond-haired girl was talking to Kiyo. As I was getting comfortable in the corner of the ceiling, I heard her say something about Zatch. Something about Zatch being a creature called. . .a "Mamodo."

"What's a Mamodo? Let's start there," I heard Kiyo say.

"Some call them imps or demons," said the blond-haired girl. "They live in a world invisible to us. This world has its own laws, and a king who rules over it." And with that, I sat back as she told a story so outrageous that even I probably couldn't have made it up:

Every 1000 years, 100 Mamodo are sent to Earth. They partner up with humans and battle each other, fighting for the throne to be king. Each Mamodo has a book used to perform spells and develop their power. The Mamodo will fight each other, burning their opponent's book. If the Mamodo's book is burned, the Mamodo is forcibly sent back to its own world.

"_Well, that explains what happened to that blue-haired kid,_" I thought, remembering the day before. I listened as the blond-haired girl continued with her story.

The Mamodo and their human partners would battle each other, burning books, until only one Mamodo remained.

"_So,_" I thought, "_the remaining Mamodo at the end will be. . ._"

"The Mamodo king," said a new voice, finishing my sentence. This voice sent chills up my spine. I looked down. I already knew what Kiyo and the blond-haired girl sounded like, so I decided that this new voice belonged to the Goth boy. I didn't like this new voice. It sounded like he was whispering.

"_Well, creepy voice for a creepy guy, I guess,_" I thought.

I looked at Kiyo. He didn't seem to want the blond-haired girl and the Goth boy here. He had Zatch's red book with him, and he was holding it tightly. He didn't seem to believe the blond-haired girl's story. I couldn't blame him for that. I was having trouble believing it myself! And half the time I'm in a fantasy world.

"So . . . " said the blond-haired girl, breaking the silence. "You haven't been using that kid's power to do. . ._bad _stuff, have you?"

"_What? Kiyo hasn't been doing anything bad at all!_" I wanted to yell out, but I ultimately decided against it. Even if I did want to say it, nobody would've heard me anyway (remember, I was a fly.)

"If you have, you'd better quit it," continued the blond-haired girl. "Abuse that power, and you'll only hurt yourself."

"Save it," said Kiyo. "I just don't buy your crazy story, that's all."

"_So he doesn't believe her,_" I thought. But then, something happened that definitely changed both my and Kiyo's minds.

The Goth boy took a step forward, and stuck his right hand out. That's when I saw it. The blond-haired girl was holding a black book behind her back. And it was glowing!

"_Uh oh,_" I thought. "_That can't be good._"

"I've no choice," said the blond-haired girl. "_Reis!_"

"'_Reis?'_" I thought. "_That almost sounds like the spells used to shoot the lightning out of Zatch's mouth. . ._"

My thoughts were interrupted, however. All of the sudden, a purple ball of energy shot out of the Goth boy's hand, and hit Kiyo smack in the chest. Kiyo was thrown against the wall, and then he collapsed on the floor.

"_What the heck!_" I thought.

"Give me the book!" said the blond-haired girl. "I'm doing you a favor."

"Really? Thanks," said Kiyo, sitting up. "But let me ask you this: If it will only hurt me, why don't you just burn your own book? Why do you go around burning other kids' books?"

"I have my reasons," answered the blond-haired girl through clenched teeth. I looked at her face. She looked like she was about to cry. "I've witnessed things. . .horrible things. Never again. . .never again!" Tears started streaming down her face, which was obviously filled with pain.

"So _that's _why she always looks so sad," I whispered.

Then the Goth boy stepped forward. "The sad truth is that even if we let you go, somebody else will come for that book," he said in that very creepy, almost whispering voice. "You see. . .the battle has just begun."

I had heard enough. The door was still open a crack, and I took no hesitation in flying through that crack. I had to find Hobbes. I had to tell him what I had seen. "_Oh, please be downstairs, you big hairball,_" I thought as I flew in the downward direction of the stairs. "_Please tell me Zatch found you!_"

I finally made it to the downstairs area. Zatch, a dog, and some man I had never seen before were there, but what interested me was the door. It was opened a crack, and I could see that it was still raining outside. At the bottom of the door, I saw an orange, black, and white mass of fur and stripes, acting as a doorstop with the top of his body inside, and the bottom of his body outside. Hobbes!

Oblivious to the scene that was happening around me, I zoomed through the open crack in the door that Hobbes made, landed in the middle of the path that led to Kiyo's house, took out my transmogrifier gun, and turned back into Calvin. I didn't care that I was sopping wet from the rain. I didn't care that our Travel Pod was obviously ruined at this point. All I cared about was telling Hobbes what I had seen.

"Hobbes, Hobbes!" I whispered, pulling him out between the door in the wall. "It's me!"

"All right!" said Hobbes, as he got up. I slowly closed the door behind him. "It's about time! Did you find anything out?"

"Hobbes. . ." I said. "You won't believe what I just saw." I then took a deep breath, and told Hobbes everything I had seen and heard since I first entered Kiyo's house.


	8. An Intense Situation

Right after I was finished telling Hobbes everything I had learned, I gasped for air. (I had done it all in one breath, so I was exhausted.) But Hobbes still seemed hesitant.

"Are you sure that was what happened?" asked Hobbes, as lightning flashed in the sky.

"Yes, I'm sure!" I said between breaths. "I saw it with my own hundred eyes!" But this comment only made Hobbes even more confused, judging by the look on his face. I sighed. "I was a fly at the time, okay?"

"Oh. . ." said Hobbes, finally understanding. "But why would one girl go to so much trouble? And why is she after Kiyo, of all people?"

"I don't know," I said. "But we have to keep spying. This is crucial!"

"Okay. . ." said Hobbes, as thunder crashed.

We ran back to the window next to the door to see what was happening. As soon as we raised our heads, something big was thrown against the wall. It was traveling too fast for us to see what it was, but as I looked at the stairs, I began to panic.

"Hobbes," I whispered. "Remind me. Do I still have the camera?"

"Yeah, you took it with you. . ." Hobbes began. But then he stopped. "Hold on. You're not going to take a picture of this, are you?"

"I have to, Hobbes," I said, taking out the camera. "This definitely qualifies as "weird." Now hold me steady."

Hobbes held onto me as I focused on the two people coming down the stairs: the blond-haired girl and the Goth boy. . .er, "Mamodo." _Click_.

As soon as the flash of my camera went off, I was thrust downward by Hobbes.

"What was that for?" I whispered angrily to Hobbes.

"Your flash went off, idiot!" said Hobbes. "Do you want them to see us?"

"Hobbes," I began, "I highly doubt that someone will come out looking for us. . ."

But no sooner had I said that, the one man whom I had never seen before burst out of the door and ran down the sidewalk, away from Kiyo's house.

"What do you call that?" asked Hobbes.

"Suspicious," I said, hoisting myself back up to the window. I gasped.

"What?" asked Hobbes, coming up beside me. "Woah!"

Kiyo was covered in blood, and Zatch was beside him. It looked like Kiyo was straining against something. The blond-haired girl and the Goth Mamodo were standing in front of Kiyo and Zatch.

"What the heck are they doing?" I asked. "Hobbes, can you hear anything?"

Hobbes put his ear to the window, then shrugged in defeat.

"Great," I mumbled. "Hey, Kiyo's trying to stand up!"

It was true. Kiyo was desperately trying to stand up. Zatch looked worried. All of the sudden, something slammed Zatch against the floor. But Kiyo still struggled.

"This is so weird!" said Hobbes. "I wish we could hear what was going on."

"I know," I said.

At this point, Kiyo was walking toward the blond-haired girl, still struggling. All of the sudden, Kiyo was shot against the back wall by a ball of purple energy I recognized as the Goth Mamodo's "Reis" spell. All of the sudden, it all came together. It was the blond-haired girl and the Goth Mamodo doing the whole thing.

My thoughts were interrupted, however. "Calvin, look!" whispered Hobbes. "Kiyo's standing up again!"

"After that attack?" I asked. "No way!"

"Way!" responded Hobbes.

Kiyo began to talk, but of course, we couldn't hear him. But we _could _tell that he was talking to Zatch.

"Hey, what's the blond-haired girl doing?" I asked, looking at her.

"Looks like she's about to cast another spell!" said Hobbes. "Look at the kid!"

It looked like the Goth Mamodo was going to use "Reis" again, but there was something wrong. It looked. . .bigger.

"That doesn't look good," I said.

"What else is new?" asked Hobbes. "Hey, Zatch is standing up! He's off the floor now!"

I looked at Kiyo and Zatch, who were off in the far corner. "You know," I said as I observed, "for two boys who are about to be blown up by a giant purple ball of energy, they look pretty confident about themselves."

"Ooh, look!" yelled Hobbes. "Kiyo's gonna say a spell!"

And just like that, Kiyo yelled out a spell. It looked like "Zaker," only it was huge! As big as the purple ball of energy!

"They're gonna try and neutralize it, I bet!" I said as it got brighter inside the house.

"It's gonna blow!" yelled Hobbes. "Hit the deck!"

"What deck?" I asked as we ducked below the window.

I guess it's a good thing we ducked, because after that, the whole house shook. A bright light shone through the window above us, and just like the "Zaker" spell we saw on the first day Hobbes and I came here, it disappeared just as fast as it started.

Silence. No sound. No light. Nothing.

"Do you think they won?" I asked.

"The blond-haired girl and her kidor Kiyo and Zatch?" said Hobbes.

We both got up and peeked through the window again. The room was covered in smoke, so it was hard to see at first. But as I looked through the smoke, I saw signs of life again.

Kiyo had collapsed in front of the blond-haired girl, and Zatch was by his side. The Goth Mamodo was carrying the dog I had seen earlier, and a brown book.

"_That dog must be a Mamodo, too,_" I thought.

Hobbes suddenly panicked. "They're coming out!" he whispered, ducking into the bushes.

"Oh!" I gasped, following him. "Hey," I said as I got down in the bushes, "it stopped raining."

"Shhh!" said Hobbes.

The blond-haired girl and the Goth Mamodo walked out of Kiyo's house. They were saying something, but I was too scared to hear what it was. But something caught my eye as they walked back to the same limo I saw on the day of the bank robbery. The blond-haired girl dropped something on the sidewalk. It looked like a piece of paper. I waited until the limo was gone before I walked out to see what it was.

"Hey, what are you doing?" asked Hobbes.

I picked up the item, only to find it was an envelope. When I looked at it, I got my first shock from it: on the front of the envelope, it said "_To the little blond boy with the stuffed tiger_._"_

I quickly opened the envelope. There was a letter inside. I quickly read through the letter, and looked in the envelope again. After that, I couldn't take it anymore. I started crying then and there, with no sign of stopping.

Hobbes, who had not gotten a chance to look at the envelope, just stood there and looked at me as if I had gone nuts. I quickly shoved the envelope and the letter into Hobbes' paws and cried some more. I listened as Hobbes read the letter out loud.

"_To the little blond boy with the stuffed tiger,_" Hobbes read. "_Don't think that Brago and I didn't see you that night, because we did. You seem to be interested in this boy and his Mamodo. I may not know what your intentions are, but I do know one thing: you_ _don't have it too well. I don't do this too often, but I hope you'll accept this gift. But if you tell anyone where you got it, I swear, Brago and I will hunt you down, even if you don't have a Mamodo. Yours truly, Sherry._"

Hobbes then looked in the envelope. Inside was the Japanese equivalent to two American fifty-dollar bills. He then looked back at me. "Jeez. . ." he mumbled, looking back at the money.

I was just regaining my composure. I couldn't cry anymore. "I'm going to bed," I mumbled, walking back to the semi-destroyed Travel Pod. I got as much water off of it as I could, then crawled in. After a while, I heard Hobbes crawl in behind me. Then. . .nothing. We just sat there in silence until nightfall.

Even though I didn't feel like it, I forced myself back out of bed so I could write in the journal.

_Day 5:_

_Hobbes and I found out a lot of information today. We found out that Zatch is from another world and that he's a creature called a Mamodo. We also found out that for some reason, the blond-haired girl (her name is Sherry) is using her Mamodo (the Goth boy, his name is Brago) to end the battle the Mamodos are participating in as quickly as possible. And even so, she gave Hobbes and me $100. Why? I have to stop writing now, or I might start crying again. This is Calvin, signing out._

I then snuggled up next to Hobbes and fell asleep.


	9. The Botanical Garden

"I said no, Hobbes," I mumbled grumpily.

"Come on!" said Hobbes. "You've been lying in the Travel Pod ever since we got that letter, and that was days ago!"

"I don't feel like spying on Kiyo today," I said. "Besides, he's in the hospital."

"Not anymore!" said Hobbes. "I saw him and Zatch come back this morning while you were sleeping. They're going out today, so we're going, too!"

"You go if you want to," I said. "I just want to rest. I think I'm coming down with something." I then threw the camera to him.

Hobbes looked at the camera for a second. Then he reached in and picked me up. "I can't figure out how this thing works," he said. "You have to come with me too, or else all of our earlier observations will be for nothing."

"Fine," I mumbled, walking out of the Travel Pod and putting the camera in my pocket. "Where are we going?"

"They said something about a botanical garden," said Hobbes. "Luckily, it doesn't take a lot of money to get in. Let's go!"

It wasn't until we were walking down the sidewalk away from Kiyo's house that I realized what Hobbes was doing. He was trying to get me out of my funk. Well, I wasn't going to buy it. I still felt terrible. Probably from getting soaked in the thunderstorm, I bet.

* * *

"Well, here we are," said Hobbes. "Mochinoki Botanical Gardens."

"Fine," I mumbled. "I've got the money. Now let's go in."

When we walked into the garden, it didn't seem anything exciting was going on. It was just a bunch of people walking around, looking at the different plants.

"Look!" whispered Hobbes. "There's Kiyo and Zatch!"

Kiyo and Zatch were a few feet ahead of us,talking to a black-haired girl in a lab coat.

"She must be the owner of the garden," I said. I coughed.

Hobbes looked at me. "Now that you mention it, you don't really look that good. Maybe we should go back to Kiyo's house. . ."

"No!" I insisted. "You already made me come all the way here. We're not leaving!"

"_I _made you come here?" Hobbes shot back. "Well, this is certainly better than moping around in that busted up box, isn't it?"

"Well," I responded, "all I have to say is. . ."

I never was able to finish. I was interrupted by the sudden screams of all the other people in the garden. Before Hobbes and I could react, people started running all around us, scrambling for the exits.

"What the heck's going on!" I yelled.

"Calvin, look!" yelled Hobbes. "There's a Mamodo here!"

I looked over to where Hobbes was pointing. The same woman that Kiyo and Zatch had been talking to before was entangled in a huge vine.

"Run away!" yelled Hobbes, grabbing me.

We headed in the same direction as everyone else. A great wave of relief washed over me as Hobbes and I made it outside. Then it was a wave of dizziness. Maybe Hobbes was right.Maybe I _was _coming down with something bad. But I couldn't worry about that now. What the heck was happening inside?

Everyone who had made it outside the garden began waiting anxiously for the others who hadn't made it. At some points we could see random flashes of light. My guess was that Kiyo was casting Zaker. At other times, we saw person after person exit the building. It began to make sense to me. Kiyo was saving all the people trapped in the vinesusing Zaker.

But then, all of the sudden, there were no more flashes of light. What happened? Did Zatch get defeated? Gosh, I hope not! Then my head throbbed. I was getting a headache. I probably should take it easy when we get back to Kiyo's house. . .

Just as I was thinking this, the biggest flash of light I had ever seen came out of the garden. Everyone stood erect. I grabbed my camera. A little later, I saw Kiyo and Zatch walk out, all beat up. I focused my camera on the two boys.

_Click._

"Can we go back now?" I asked Hobbes.

Hobbes looked at me. "Okay," he said. We headed back for Kiyo's house.

* * *

That night, I wrote in the journal in a hurry, because I just wanted to go to bed and feel better in the morning. 

_Day 6:_

_Hobbes finally got me out of the box today, literally. We went to a botanical garden, following Kiyo and Zatch. Apparently there was a Mamodo there, from the little bits Hobbes and I saw. But we had to evacuate before we saw anything else. I was able to get a good picture of Kiyo and Zatch, though. I have to stop now. I just want to go to bed and feel better in the morning. Man, I hope I'm not catching anything. This is Calvin, signing out._

I then snuggled up next to Hobbes and fell asleep.


	10. Kolulu

_Hi, it's me again! I know that my last chapter ran up short, so to make up for it, I have this chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

_

I forced my eyes open. It was morning, and I wasn't feeling that better, but I wasn't feeling that worse, either. 

"Finally!" said Hobbes. "I was afraid you'd never wake up! How are you feeling today?"

I sniffed. "I've been better. But I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" asked Hobbes. "Because we can just stay here and rest today, if you want. . ."

"No!" I said. "We have a job to do. We have to keep an eye on Zatch."

Hobbes hesitated. "Well. . .okay, if you say so."

"So," I said, getting up, "where are we going today?"

"Kiyo's already gone to school," said Hobbes. "I saw him. But I think Zatch was going to the park. I saw him walk out saying something about a "Volcan" something-or-other. He was carrying a little box with chopsticks sticking out of it."

"Well then, the park it is then!" I said, grabbing the camera. "Let's go!" But Hobbes just stood there. "What's with you?" I asked.

"Uh. . .nothing," said Hobbes, following me.

* * *

We finally made it to Mochinoki Park. "You see Zatch?" I asked. 

"Nope," said Hobbes. "Sure is a nice day though, huh?"

I looked around. "I guess it is," I admitted. The sun was out, there was no breeze, and the weather was perfect. Now, if only my nose wasn't so stuffed up. . .

"Hey, that looks like a nice spot to sit down," said Hobbes. He was pointing to a grassy area shaded by some trees.

"Okay," I said.

As we went to sit down, I saw that someone else was there. It was a little girl, holding a small doll. The girl had pink hair, and was wearing a dress to match. She appeared to be making a flower crown for her doll, so she didn't notice Hobbes and me sitting a few feet away from her. For some reason, I was feeling a strange feeling I've never felt before. And no, it had nothing to do with my stuffy nose or my sore throat. I absentmindedly took my camera out and focused on the girl.

_Click._

"Hey, it's two kids in the park!" a new voice said. I immediately knew who it was, but I was still surprised when I turned my head toward the voice.

I looked at Zatch. He was holding a small box with chopsticks sticking out of it, just like Hobbes said. "Are you two new?" asked Zatch. "My name is Zatch Bell! Who are you?"

The girl spoke first. "I'm Kolulu!" she said. "I just moved here yesterday."

Then they looked at me. I had no choice but to respond. "Uh. . .I'm Calvin!" I stammered. "And I'm. . .uh. . .here on a trip." While I was saying this, my heart pounded "_Exposed!" _so hard I thought Zatch and Kolulu would hear it. Luckily, they couldn't.

Zatch held up the box he was holding for me and Kolulu and me to see. On the front of the box was a face. "This is my friend, Volcan 300," said Zatch. "**Pleased to meet you**" he added in a robotic voice.

"This is Tina," said Kolulu, holding up her doll. "Pleased to meet you."

Suddenly, I felt like bragging. "And this is Hobbes!" I said, proudly showing my tiger.

Zatch stared at Tina and Hobbes, wide-eyed. "But you bought those, right?" he asked. "You can't _buy _friends."

"No, she's handmade," said Kolulu.

"And I caught Hobbes in a tiger trap," I added.

"My big sis Lori made her," Kolulu continued. "She said, 'Now you won't be lonely while I'm at school!' Tina took a week to make!"

"It took me a day to catch Hobbes," I said. "I rigged a tuna fish sandwich, and when I came back the next day, there he was!"

"And Lori made all these pretty clothes, too," said Kolulu after I was finished. "That way, Tina looks nice!"

Throughout our stories, Zatch just stood there, in shock. "Then. . ." he mumbled. "Then my Volcan is. . ." He began to shake, along with the chopstick arm Zatch was holding Volcan by. All of the sudden, the rest of Volcan's body just fell off, leaving Zatch holding a single chopstick. "He didn't even glue it. . ." said Zatch, his voice beginning to crack.

Kolulu, Hobbes, and I just sat there, staring, wondering what the heck hewas talking about.

"Kolulu!" called another voice. Hobbes and I turned to see an older girl with black hair wearing a school uniform coming toward us.

"Yay, Lori's here!" exclaimed Kolulu.

Lori picked up Kolulu, then looked at me and Hobbes, and then Zatch, who was on his knees crying. "Friends of yours?" she asked Kolulu.

"Yeah, I just met them," said Kolulu. "I made this flower crown for you, Lori."

"Thank you!" said Lori. She knelt down in front of Kolulu. "Here, hop on!"

"Okay!" said Kolulu. Lori then began to run around the park, Kolulu on her back. "Bye, Calvin!" she called as she and Lori left the park.

I smiled and waved.

"You certainly seem to be feeling better," said Hobbes. Then he moved in closer. "Uh, what do we do about. . .?" He pointed at Zatch.

"As long as we keep out of sight, we'll be fine," I whispered back. My stomach growled. "I'm hungry."

"Well then, let's find some place to eat," said Hobbes.

As Hobbes and I walked away, I looked back at Zatch, still crying. "See ya, Zatch!" I called to him. He was able to manage a quick wave before going back to crying.

* * *

That night, I felt chipper as I wrote in my journal. 

_Day 7:_

_I met the nicest girl today. Her name is Kolulu, and she has a small friend named Tina. She has a really nice big sister named Lori, too. I was able to get Kolulu's picture, and I even introduced myself and Hobbes to Zatch. Hobbes is worried, but I'm pretty sure we can keep observing if we stay out of sight. I can't wait for tomorrow. Maybe I'll see Kolulu again! This is Calvin, signing out._

I then snuggled up next to Hobbes, with a big smile on my face, and fell asleep.

* * *

Hobbes was waiting for me to wake up again the next morning. Despite feeling a bit dizzy and congested, I was ready to go. 

"So, where should we go today?" asked Hobbes.

"Let's go to the park again!" I answered immediately. "Maybe Kolulu will be there!"

A sly grin appeared on Hobbes' face. "You sure are excited about Kolulu," he said. "What about Susie?"

"What _about _Susie?" I asked. Then it hit me. "Oh no," I said. "Don't start that, please." I started down Kiyo's sidewalk, when all of the sudden, I wobbled a bit on my feet. I immediately regained control though.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" asked Hobbes. "You look a little pale."

"I'm _fine_," I insisted. "Don't worry about it."

"Okay," said Hobbes. "But don't come crying to me when you're in the hospital with pneumonia."

"I'm _not _sick," I said. "We're going to the park."

* * *

But when we got to the park, all we saw was everyone running away screaming. When Hobbes and I entered, we saw Kiyo and Zatch casting Zaker. Their opponent was a tall Mamodo, with long purple hair, glowing eyes, a two-piece top, and knee-high boots. She also had really long claws. When I looked to see who the Mamodo's book owner was, I had to squint a little because for some reason, my vision was a little blurry. When I could finally focus, I was surprised to see that the owner of the Mamodo's pink book was _Lori_! 

What was Kolulu's big sister doing here? And where was Kolulu? And why did Lori look so sad? My thoughts were interrupted by Lori shouting out a spell. It sounded like "Zerusen."

The Mamodo's claws began to glow, and they suddenly shot out like rockets, right at Zatch and Kiyo. Therocket clawsleft big indents in the ground. I grabbed my camera and focused on Zatch and Kiyo between the two indents.

_Click._

Hobbes and I watched Zatch and the Mamodo fight a little longer. All of the sudden, Lori shouted out another spell, "Zeruk," and the Mamodo was off like lightning. The Mamodo's sharp claws went into Zatch's shoulders, and Zatch grabbed the Mamodo's arms. At this point, my vision blurred a little bit. I clutched my head. When my vision came back, I heard Zatch yelling.

"I know your name, it's Lori," I heard him yell. "You're Kolulu's big sister, aren't you? My name is Zatch Bell! She and I are friends! You don't have to fight us anymore, Lori!"

The next voice I heard was Lori's. "The boy at the park!" I heard her say, relief in her voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't know! But then maybe you can help Kolulu! Oh, _please_ help her!"

"Kolulu?" asked Zatch.

"Kolulu?" I asked, looking at the Mamodo.

"You mean. . .you?" Zatch asked the Mamodo.

The Mamodo strained. "Yes. . .it's me!" she responded.

My eyes must have gone out an inch from my head. Was this Mamodo really Kolulu? I didn't have time to think.

"It's over, Kolulu!" yelled Lori, grabbing something. I think it was Tina. "That's enough!"

"We fight because that is our destiny!" yelled Kolulu, throwing Zatch to the ground.

My vision blurred again. I was able to hear the scrambled voices of Lori and Kolulu, though. When my vision came back, I saw Lori holding Kolulu. Kolulu's claw was jammed into Lori's shoulder, which was bleeding. Something was happening to Kolulu. Her boots and claws disappeared. Her purple hair became its regular pink. The demonic, twisted face disappeared and became Kolulu's kind face again.

* * *

Later, Kolulu came to, and saw everything that happened. Kiyo, Zatch, and Lori were near her, with Hobbes and me watching from a distance. Somehow, Kolulu figured out that she was the one who had done all of the damage, and then I began to hear bits and pieces of her explanation. She didn't want to fight the Mamodo battle, so they put a new personality in her that likes to fight.They did this to all theMamodo's that didn't want to fight,so they can't escape their destiny. It was all very overwhelming. 

Then, all of the sudden, I saw Kiyo tell Zatch to look at Kolulu's book, which she was holding. All of the sudden, Kiyo cast the "Zaker" spell, setting poor Kolulu's book ablaze. I realized what was happening. Kolulu had asked them to burn her book, so she wouldn't do any more damage. Tears began to form in my eyes. Why did this have to happen?

Then, one of the worst things I probably ever had to witness happened. Kolulu began to disappear. I was able to hear her speak as she disappeared.

"If the king of our world was a benevolent king, maybe this battle can stop," said Kolulu.

"Maybe you're right. . ." said Zatch. He was crying, too. "Yes, you are right! That's exactly what the Mamodo King should be like. And I swear, if I win this battle-_when _I win this battle-that's the kind of king I'll be!"

"I know you will, Zatch. . ." said Kolulu, smiling. Then, she completely disappeared, along with her book.

"Kolulu!" yelled Lori. Then she broke down, just bawling.

I was bawling, too. It just broke my heart to look at the scene in front of me. But that didn't last long.

All of the sudden, everything began to spin. I couldn't see. It felt like something was crashing down on top of me. "_Kolulu. . ._" flashed through my mind before it began to throb. "Hobbes. . ." came out in a mumble as I began to grow more sleepy. Something hard hit my face. That was probably the ground. . .I think.

The last thing I heard before I completely blacked out was someone yelling, "Oh my gosh! Look at that kid!"


	11. Discovery

_**Author's note: **Sorry if this chapter seems a little late. After I got done with the last chapter, it just took me a while to figure out how the story should go from there. But I've got it figured out now. Also, sorry if this chapter seemsa little short._

_

* * *

_Ugh . . . where am I? What was happening? What was I doing? 

Oh . . . yeah. Hobbes and I were at the park. Kolulu had been sent back to the Mamodo world. I had passed out . . . or something like that. But what was going on now?

"Finally!" I heard Hobbes' voice. "I was getting kind of worried!"

My eyes could finally focus. I sat up and looked around. I was on a couch. There was a blanket on me. And for the first time in days, I actually felt like myself again. At first, I didn't recognize the place, but then it hit me. I had been here before. Hobbes and I were in Kiyo's house!

"Hobbes . . . " I said through gritted teeth. "What happened?"

"Nothing!" said Hobbes. "Unless you count passing out in the middle of the park something. Then yeah, something happened. But the excitement really started after you knocked out . . . "

* * *

"_Oh my gosh!" yelled Kiyo. "Look at that kid!"_

_Zatch got to where the unconscious boy and his stuffed tiger first. "Hey, I know him!" said Zatch. "That's Calvin and his tiger, Hobbes."_

"_They're your friends?" asked Kiyo. "Good." He felt the boy's forehead. "My gosh, he's burning up! Zatch, do you know where he lives?"_

"_I don't think he's from around here," said Zatch. "Calvin said he was here on a trip."_

"_Great," said Kiyo. "We'll just have to take them home and see what we can do with them. We've got to get his fever down."

* * *

_

". . .And then Kiyo carried you and me out of the park, and we came back here," finished Hobbes. "That was yesterday. You've been asleep ever since."

"Wait, wait, wait," I said. "I had a fever?"

"Yep," said Hobbes. "I told you that we could just stay in the Travel Pod so you could rest, but you _had _to go to the park and risk dying of pneumonia . . . "

"Good, you're awake," said a voice behind us. I turned to see a young woman with long brown hair.

"Uh . . . uh . . . " I stammered out. I had no idea who this woman was.

"It's okay," said the woman. "I'm Kiyo's mother. You're Zatch's friend, yes?"

"Uh, yeah," I said. This was Kiyo's _mother_? ". . .I'm Calvin."

"Well, I'm just glad you're better," said Kiyo's mother. "You were a mess when Kiyo brought you here. Luckily, your fever broke a little after we cleaned you up. I washed your tiger for you."

That's when I noticed that Hobbes _did_ look a bit cleaner than he did at the park. "Oh . . . I, uh . . . thanks," I was able to stammer out. "However, I'm still a bit tired. I think I just want to rest."

Kiyo's mother smiled. "Do whatever you want, dear," she said. "When Kiyo and Zatch get home, I'll let them know you're doing better."

I was done talking now. I buried my head under the blanket I had and went back to sleep.

* * *

When I came to, it was later in the day, because everything seemed a bit darker. I was under the blanket, and I could feel Hobbes lying next to me. I was about to go back to sleep when suddenly I heard voices. 

"So, how's our patient doing?" I heard one voice ask. It was Kiyo.

"Well, he's certainly doing a lot better than he was when you first brought him here," said another voice, Kiyo's mother's. "But don't bother him now. He's sleeping."

"I'm just glad he's okay," said one more voice, Zatch's. "Calvin's a really cool kid."

Me? A cool kid? _Me_? Nobody's ever called me "cool" back at home. They always called me "weird" or "deranged" or something like that. Never "cool." Maybe being friends with Zatch and Kiyo wouldn't be so bad . . .

Wait! Home! The Travel Pod! All my stuff is in there! I have to get it all back! But not now. Not with everyone else awake. I'll just have to wait until everyone else is asleep . . .

* * *

It's very dark out now. From what I can tell, everyone else is asleep. Now's my chance to get all the stuff I'm going to need. 

I slowly peek out from under the blanket. Hobbes is asleep next to me. I decide not to wake him up. He can't keep a secret for beans. He'd wake everyone up. So, I make my way to the front door by myself, doing my very best not to wake anyone up.

I finally make it outside. Even though it's very dark, I can still see the rain-damaged Travel Pod in the bushes. I run over and grab all the essentials I'll need for the rest of the trip: my journal, the Transmogrifier gun, the envelope full of money that Sherry gave me . . .

Oh, yeah. Sherry. I really have to make sure nobody sees this money. She said she'd come after me if I told. I wonder where she is now . . .

Hold on. Why the heck am I thinking about her? She beat up Kiyo and Zatch! That's inexcusable, even by my standards! So. . .why am I worried about her? I finally decide that now is not the time to be worrying about such things, and that I should get back inside. I quickly grab all of my things and head back inside.

* * *

I've made it back to the couch without waking Hobbes or anyone else up. I have to sleep now . . . but not before writing in my journal. 

_Day 8:_

_It seems that I've been in no condition to be writing for about a day, so I haven't been able to see anything exciting. But now Kiyo and Zatch know of my and Hobbes' existence. But they must think that I'm okay, because I even heard Zatch say I was "cool," which is kind of a shock for me. I've gotten all the essentials from the Travel Pod and brought them into Kiyo's house. But other than that . . . to tell you the truth, I have no idea what to do next. So, for now, I guess . . . this is Calvin, signing out._

I then snuggled up next to Hobbes, this time on a comfy couch, and fell asleep.


	12. Early Morning Battle

Well . . . it's the next day, and I'm feeling good for the first time in a few days. I'm still trying to keep everything in perspective. But no matter how many times I make it go through my mind, it just seems surreal.

According to my journal, Hobbes and I have been here for more than eight days. When we first came here, all he and I had was a broken Travel Pod and the things I had packed. Now we still had the broken Travel Pod, but now we had $100 and were taking refuge in the house of the very people Hobbes and I have been observing!

It's just so much to take in. Well, at least now Hobbes and I can get back to finding the perfect box so I can make a new Travel Pod. I guess we've been putting that off for a few days.

It's weird. Ever since Hobbes and I got to Japan, I've been acting differently. Sure, I'm used to snooping around and spying on people, but . . . I'm never this . . . polite. I was polite when we first met Kolulu, and it happened again when I was talking to Kiyo's mother. And now, Hobbes and I were in the park with Zatch, and I'm just sitting here with Hobbes instead of running around. I just don't get it.

All of the sudden, I start to hear crying. I turn my head to the direction to the sound. It's Zatch. This other kid named Naomi chased him to the top of the rope swings and now he can't get down. I probably should help him, but that would mean having to talk to Naomi. And I'm going to be honest here . . . that girl is just creepy-looking with those big teeth!

"Hey, isn't that Kiyo?" asked Hobbes.

I looked over to where Hobbes was pointing. It was indeed Kiyo. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I could tell he was talking to Zatch. Then he began to walk away.

I looked back at Zatch. He was freaking out even more now. Probably because Kiyo was ignoring him. I'd be pretty upset if someone ignored me when I needed help. But then that was the least of my worries.

"Hobbes, check it out," I whispered to my friend. There was somebody walking toward Naomi. And he was _huge_! Bigger than Hobbes!

The man immediately scared Naomi away, and then helped Zatch down from the rope swings. At least he was nice. I decided to get a closer look. I inched a little closer, Hobbes following.

"Can you see anything?" I whispered to my friend.

"Awww . . . that guy has a little bird," said Hobbes.

I looked. The big guy indeed had a little bird with him. "He must be caring for it," I said.

"That's nice," said Hobbes. "This guy looks scary, but he's really just a nice guy."

After showing Zatch the bird, the tall guy started to walk away. It was then Hobbes and I walked over to Zatch.

"That was a nice guy," I said to Zatch.

"You bet he was nice!" said Zatch. "Did you see how he helped me?"

"Yeah," I said. "I also saw you yelling at Kiyo. I don't think he heard you though, because he walked away."

Suddenly, Zatch's face hardened. "Kiyo!" he grumbled, obviously angry. "I'll make him pay for not helping me!" He then turned to leave the park. "Want to help me, Calvin?"

I thought for a second. "Uh . . . no thanks," I said. "I think Hobbes and I are just going to walk around town for a while. You go on ahead."

"Okay," said Zatch, shrugging. "Your loss." He then left the park in search of Kiyo.

"What are we gonna do?" asked Hobbes after Zatch was gone. "Are we going to look for another box?"

"Of course not," I said. "We came here to observe Zatch and Kiyo, and observe we will."

"But we're friends now," said Hobbes. "Do we still have to keep spying on them?"

"Hobbes, if I've learned anything from school . . . " I began.

"Well then, this oughta be good," my friend interrupted, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

I glared at him. ". . .It's that you never stop an experiment when you're right in the middle of it," I finished. "If we want to get anything out of this experiment, we have to keep going. You want those babes, don't you?"

Hobbes thought for a moment. ". . .All right," he said finally. "Let's do it for the babes!"

* * *

It took us a while, but we were finally able to find Kiyo and Zatch in the big city. When we got there, we stayed a reasonable distance away so they couldn't spot us. Zatch was yelling at Kiyo, probably for not helping him before. But then Kiyo shushed him. I adjusted my position so I could see what they were looking at.

Get this: they were looking at the same tall guy who helped Zatch out in the park! And even stranger, there was a kid with him. This kid had pale blond hair, a white shirt, and brown knee-length shorts on.

"Who's that kid?" asked Hobbes.

"I don't know," I whispered back. Enough said.

Suddenly, Kiyo and Zatch were on the move. Hobbes and I struggled to keep up, but still keeping a good distance. For the rest of the day, Hobbes and I watched Kiyo and Zatch, who were watching the tall guy and the kid with him.

Geez, and people think my stories about my killer bike and aliens are complicated!

Anyway, the tall kid wasn't doing anything bad. In fact, everything he did was _good_. Hobbes and I watched him pick up trash and help an old lady across the street.

"I don't get it," Hobbes whispered to me. "We already know that the tall guy is nice. Why the heck are we following him?"

"Kiyo must have seen something," I whispered back. "That's why _they're _following him. We're following Zatch and Kiyo."

Finally, we all stopped at a huge building with a playground. My guess was that it was the elementary school. Hobbes and I were peeking out through a row of bushes. In front of us, Kiyo and Zatch were hiding behind a single bush, and in front of _them_, the tall guy and the kid were talking.

"Okay, this is getting tedious," whispered Hobbes. "Can we go back to Kiyo's house?"

"No, not . . . " I began, then I stopped. I couldn't believe my eyes.

Something was happening to the kid with the tall guy. He didn't look like a kid anymore. His eyes had gone bright red, and a blue vertical line appeared under each of his eyes. When he opened his mouth, I didn't see normal human teeth. I saw pointed teeth, like Hobbes'. That's when I saw something else. The tall guy was holding a brown book.

"I get it now!" I murmured to Hobbes. "That kid is a Mamodo!"

"The tall guy?" asked Hobbes.

"No, the other one," I said. "That's why Kiyo was following them around! He wants to battle them."

"Well, they must not be battling now," said Hobbes. "The tall guy and his Mamodo are leaving."

"Yeah . . . why's Zatch leaving?" I asked. As I said that, Zatch started running in the same direction the tall guy and his Mamodo were going.

"Who knows?" asked Hobbes. "Can we go now?"

I hesitated. "Yeah, we can go," I said. "I may need to do some snooping at Kiyo's house tonight."

* * *

Later, back at Kiyo's house, I was listening in on Kiyo. His door was opened a crack, and I was hearing every word he said.

"I don't get it," Kiyo was saying to himself. "Why would he want to destroy the school tomorrow?"

My eyes widened. Did Kiyo say _destroy _that school? Sure, there are times I've wanted to wipe _my_ school off the face of the earth, but this . . .

"What's so special about tomorrow?" Kiyo asked himself. "Let's see . . . tomorrow's Saturday . . . "

Ah, Saturday. The greatest of all days. All of the sudden, Kiyo nearly fell over.

"That's it!" said Kiyo. "There's no school on Saturday!" Well, _duh_. "He wants to do it tomorrow so no kids will get hurt!"

Oh, that makes sense. He is a good guy, after all.

"But if he's so good . . . why do it at all?" Just then, Kiyo looked like he remembered something. "I get it . . . it's the kid. He's controlling him . . . like a puppet!"

I left after that. I had to make sure I had enough film in the camera.

* * *

The next morning, I shook Hobbes awake. "Come on!" I whispered furiously, so not to wake Kiyo's mother. "Kiyo and Zatch already left! They're going to fight the tall guy!"

Hobbes yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes!" I said. "I heard Kiyo say so last night! We have to go _now!_"

Then a tired Hobbes and I slowly creeped out of the house, a ready camera in my pocket.

By the time Hobbes and I finally made it back to the elementary school, the battle was already at full speed. Kiyo and Zatch had just launched the "Rashield" spell, and a bunch of huge boulders were flying back at the tall guy and his Mamodo.

"Woah . . . " mumbled Hobbes. He was awake now.

"Told ya," I said, getting my camera out.I had to be ready. I would have taken a picture then, but there was too much smoke in the way.

When the smoke fully cleared, we saw Zatch talking to the tall guy.

"What's Zatch doing?" asked Hobbes.

"He must be trying to calm the tall guy down," I said. "We all know he's a good guy, and it looks like he really doesn't want to fight."

"Hey!" said Hobbes. "What's that Mamodo doing to Zatch?"

"I don't know, but he looks mad," I said back. "He's yelling something."

"I can't hear," said Hobbes. "Can't we get up closer?"

"Too risky," I answered.

Hobbes stared for a moment. "That Mamodo may be mad. . ." he began. All of the sudden, Kiyo went up behind the Mamodo and hit him. Hard. ". . .But Kiyo's madder!" my friend finished.

"You got that right," I said.

"What are they saying now?" asked Hobbes.

"I don't know," I responded. "Your ears are better than mine."

"Hey . . . " said Hobbes. "I think the tall guy still wants to fight! Look at him!"

"He looks pretty mad. . ." I began. I was confirmed on that when the tall guy suddenly slammed his fist into the ground, inches away from his Mamodo. "_So he's mad at his Mamodo . . . _" I thought. That made sense, considering the way he was treating the poor guy.

"Oh, it looks like Kiyo and Zatch are chickening out," said Hobbes, breaking me from my thoughts. "They're trying to run away."

The tall guy shouted out a spell, but I was too far away to hear what it was. All of the sudden, a giant cannon sprang up from the ground, shooting out equally huge boulders.

Hobbes and I watched Kiyo and Zatch try to counterattack with Rashield, but the boulders were too big. They broke right through the electric shield, sending our two new friends flying quite some ways.

"Oh . . . " I mumbled. I didn't want to see our new friends get hurt.

"Don't worry," said Hobbes. "They're going to fight back. Look!"

Kiyo's red book was glowing. Bright. Suddenly, a giant ball of lightning shot from Zatch. The same kind of ball I saw during the battle with Sherry. I guessed it was Zaker.

In response, the tall guy shouted another spell. A giant snake made of earth shot up from the ground. If that didn't scream "picture moment," I don't know what did. As I focused my camera, the Zaker spell collided with the giant earth snake.

_Click._

I didn't get to see what happened after that because once again, a bunch of smoke was kicked up. But when it cleared, I saw one of the most satisfying sights of all: the evil Mamodo kid's book was burnt.

After that, Kiyo and Zatch left the school with the tall guy, leaving Hobbes and me at our perch.

"What do you want to do now?" asked Hobbes.

I yawned. "Let's follow them for a while . . . then go back to bed," I said. "I'm tired."

Hobbes smiled.

* * *

That night, after everyone else was asleep, I got my journal out.

_Day 9:_

_Hobbes and I still haven't found a box, but we did get to see a Mamodo battle this morning. And after that, Hobbes and I followed Kiyo and Zatch, along with their new tall friend named Shin, to a little cemetery. Apparently, Shin was trying to please his mother who's . . . well, gone, by fighting in the Mamodo battle. But now that his evil Mamodo's gone, I'm sure Shin has nothing to worry about. I wonder if my mom knows that Hobbes and I are gone yet . . . This is Calvin, signing out._

I then snuggled up next to Hobbes and fell asleep.


	13. The Iron Man and the Duck Billed Mamodo

"Hobbes, I'm telling you, we're going to find one today," I said as my tiger and I roamed the streets.

"What makes you say that?" asked Hobbes.

"I just feel lucky for some reason," I responded. "But what I do know is that we'd better find a new box sooner or later."

"Yeah, your mom does tend to have conniptions when she finds out that we're up to something," said Hobbes. "I still think we should have asked Kiyo and Zatch to help us."

"It wouldn't have mattered," I said. "Kiyo's sick, and Zatch went off somewhere on his own. They couldn't help us even if I wanted them to."

"Hey, what's that over there?" asked Hobbes, pointing across the street.

I looked over to where Hobbes was pointing. "Looks like a mob," I said. That was certainly what it looked like. A big group was gathered, with somebody in the middle. What made it interesting was that the crowd was composed of only women.

"Calvin, look!" yelled Hobbes, suddenly excited. He pointed a few feet to the right of the mob.

I looked, and immediately got excited. Right next to the mob was a box. The perfect box. Maybe Hobbes and I could still be able to get home!

I began to sneak over across the street, Hobbes following. I grew even more excited when we got up right next to the box. I walked around it and checked all of the sides for scratches or holes. Then a big smile came across my face.

"Hobbes, this is it!" I said. "I can make a new Travel Pod with this box! We can go home!"

"Shouldn't we ask that guy first?" asked my friend.

"Huh?"

"This box belongs to that guy in the middle of the crowd," said Hobbes, pointing to the screaming girls. As I came over to Hobbes, he read the name on the side of the box. "Parco Folgore."

I looked at the group of girls, who were obsessing over this "Parco Folgore" guy. It looked like all these girls wanted to get the chance to just _touch _this guy. Now why can't that be happening to me? But I did know one thing: Those people were all too preoccupied to notice us.

"Aw, they won't care if we just take this," I said.

"It's got stuff in it," said Hobbes. I peeked in. Inside the big box were a bunch of packages.

"Then we'll take them out," I said, starting to take the little packages out of the box. After a minute, Hobbes reluctantly helped me. With his help, we had that box emptied in no time at all.

Of course, nobody saw Hobbes and me walk away with the box. I mean, who in the right mind would bother to see a boy and his tiger walking away with a box? Nobody, that's who.

* * *

I was giddy with excitement by the time we got back to Kiyo's house. "This is so great!" I said. "I can make a new Travel Pod now! We can go home!"

"I suppose . . . " said Hobbes. "Are we going to tell Kiyo and Zatch?"

"Oh, I'll think of something," I said. "Let's just set it next to the old Travel Pod."

Hobbes and I positioned the new box next to our old Travel Pod so nobody else could see it.

"We'd better go in and see how Kiyo's doing," said Hobbes.

"All right . . . " I said. "His fever was pretty high when we left . . . "

But when Hobbes and I made it to Kiyo's room, we got a big surprise.

Kiyo and Zatch were in the room, and on his bed was the same girl we saw on the school's roof the first day Hobbes and I came here. She was asleep. But the biggest surprise of all was the other kid who was in the room.

The kid had orange hair that ended with a swirl on the top, and he had on what looked like one of those pajamas with feet. When he heard me opening the door, he turned around, all excited. "Folgore!" he yelled, and that's when I saw the strangest thing, even for me: the kid had a duck bill! "Oh . . . " mumbled the kid, turning back around.

I looked at Kiyo and Zatch. "Is this a bad time?" I asked. "Because we can come back when the crazy kid with the duck bill is gone . . . "

"No, it's okay . . . sort of . . . " said Kiyo.

After hesitating for a second, Hobbes and I went to Kiyo's bed and sat down on the edge.

Then Zatch told us everything that had been happening: Zatch had gone off to get a fish for Kiyo to make him feel better. But when he got back, Kiyo was better, but he had this _really _long nose, and he was acting all nice. Then the girl came over (her name is Suzy, which I found ironic) and they couldn't figure out that this long-nosed Kiyo was a fake. As it turns out, the real Kiyo had been nailed to the ceiling, and after a bit of struggling, came crashing down to the floor, revealing the fake. Well, then the duck-billed kid revealed himself (turns out he's a Mamodo named Kanchome) and Suzy got so freaked out that she fainted. They've been waiting for the owner of Kanchome's book ever since, and that was hours ago!

After waiting a little more, Kanchome asked Kiyo if he could have some candy. After Kiyo said yes, Kanchome got some candy out of this pocket in his pajamas and started eating.

"You know . . . " said Kiyo. "Maybe Folgore just left you here and he isn't coming back."

Kanchome freaked out and started crying that Folgore would never leave him.

"Hey Calvin," Hobbes whispered to me. "Isn't Folgore the same guy we got the box from?"

"Hey, yeah. _He's_ this kid's book owner?" I asked, looking at Kanchome. "Whodathunkit?"

"Yeah . . . " mumbled Hobbes.

"Hey, why are you crying, Kanchome?" Hobbes jumped at the sudden voice with a thick Italian accent. I almost did, but I caught myself.

"FOLGORE!" yelled Kanchome. I looked, and sure enough, there was the same guy from before standing in the doorway. I'll admit it. I was a little jealous at the kiss marks all over his face. "You're late!" said Kanchome, running up to the man.

"Well, the paparazzi and the fans just wouldn't let me go . . . " said Folgore, hugging the kid.

"_At least he likes his Mamodo,_" I thought.

"Hey, you're Folgore?" asked Kiyo. I turned back to him. "You nailed me to the ceiling!" I could tell that he was not very happy.

"Yes, thanks for 'hanging around' . . . to meet the incredible Folgore!" said Folgore.

"I. . .no!" yelled Kiyo. "Why are you here?"

"I'm that adorable hunk, the Italian superstar, Parco Folgore!"

"_Is he ignoring the question?_" I thought.

"Listen!" yelled Kiyo. He was _ticked_. "Did you come here to battle, or are you going to keep introducing yourself to me?"

"Hey, Calvin," said Hobbes. "If that guy's Italian and Kiyo's Japanese, how can they understand what they're saying to each other?"

"Oh, they're understanding each other?" I asked.

"What's that, you want a copy of my CD?" asked Folgore. "Here, it's a gift from Parco Folgore!" He then threw a CD at Kiyo and he caught it. I was surprised when he also threw a CD at me. However, his aim was off and my CD ended up hitting Hobbes smack in the head.

"Nice shot . . . " I mumbled, picking up the CD as Hobbes rubbed his head.

"'Hey Hey, Let's Dance all Day'?" Kiyo and I read the cover of the CD at the same time.

"Okay, if you insist," said Folgore.

"Ladies and gentlemen . . . " began Kanchome, who suddenly had a CD player. ". . .the great Parco Folgore!" Then the music began.

"_Hey hey, let's dance all day, boing boing!_

_Hey hey, let's dance all day, boing boing!_

_Boogie, boogie, boogie . . . _"

If my jaw had dropped any farther, it probably would have fallen clear off my head. I was having a hard time believing this. Here was this crazy Italian guy dancing and singing around Kiyo's room with his duck-billed Mamodo.

"How the heck are babes attracted to this guy?" I asked Hobbes.

"How the heck is that noise considered music?" asked Hobbes, covering his ears.

I looked at Kiyo. As it turns out, he seemed to be having a hard time believing this guy, too, judging by the look on his face. Zatch, on the other hand, was dancing right along with Folgore and Kanchome.

"_Somebody turn this off before one of us cracks!_" I thought.

It's as if Kiyo had read my mind. "ZAKER!" he suddenly yelled. The electricity shot out of Zatch's mouth and directly hit Folgore. The music stopped.

"Thank goodness . . . " mumbled Hobbes, taking his paws off his ears.

"Look, didn't you guys come to fight me?" asked Kiyo. "To burn my book?"

"Well, of course!" said Kanchome. Since Folgore had been standing in front of him, Kanchome had not been hit with Zaker. "I'm going to be king of the Mamodo! ME!"

I found that idea a little unrealistic. Especially for these guys.

"Well, why don't you guys just give up?" asked Kiyo. "I don't like to pick on weaklings."

Woah. Did Kiyo really just say that?

"Don't talk about Folgore like that!" said Kanchome. "He's an invincible hero!"

Then, the next thing Hobbes and I knew, these two guys were up, singing again. But this time, the song only consisted of two lines.

"_Iron Man Folgore_

_Invincible Folgore . . . _"

Well, this is to make a long story short: the first time Folgore and Kanchome started singing, Kiyo shocked them with Zaker again. But other than the fact that Folgore looked as charred as my dad's hamburgers, it didn't seem to affect them. They just got right back up and sang. So Kiyo shocked them with Zaker again. This time, Folgore took some hesitation in getting up.

"Shock us all you want!" said Kanchome, who was still okay. "It won't affect the invincible Folgore! _Iron Man Folgore . . . _"

"K-Kanchome . . . stop . . . " I heard Folgore mumble. "I wish I was invincible, but I'm not. I'm just a normal human . . . "

I'll admit it. I actually felt a little sorry for the guys. I mean, they were trying their hardest, but they were just so _weak_.

"So. . .you guys should really give up. Like, right now," said Kiyo. "I feel kind of sorry . . . for both of you. Is your book really worth this poor guy's life?"

I was surprised to see Folgore slowly get up. "H-how do you know you'll win?" he was asking. "Is it because I look weak, or is it because I left Kanchome here and went to see my fans instead of fighting? Well, don't you dare pity me. Kanchome and I haven't even begun to fight."

Okay, this is beginning to get out of hand. Even my dad's hamburgers aren't as bad as Folgore's condition right now. The ends of his hair are black, and the top of his shirt has been completely burned off. Why the heck was he still going on? But at least now there's enough time for me to grab my camera in case something else happens. This definitely qualifies as "weird."

"We became best friends because we both appreciate a noble spirit!" Folgore continued. "You, who superficially judge others, would never understand."

"Calvin, what's "superficially" mean?" Hobbes asked me.

"I have no idea, but he sure sounds convincing," I responded.

"And now, let's fight," said Folgore, taking out a yellow book. My guess was that it was Kanchome's spell book, because it was glowing. "You're gonna regret going easy on us before!"

What happened next . . . to tell you the truth, it's kind of sketchy, because all of the sudden, the whole room filled with smoke. But I was able to hear Folgore's voice.

"PORUK!"

"Poruk?" Hobbes asked me.

"That must be one of Kanchome's spells," I said.

"Uh . . . I think you guessed right," said Hobbes as the smoke cleared. Kanchome wasn't there anymore. In his place was a giant cannon with Kanchome's face!

"No way!" said Kiyo. "It can turn him into a weapon?"

"Do not underestimate a shapeshifter's power!" said Folgore, a big grin on his face. "If you want to live, you'd better give me that red book!"

"Oh boy . . . " I mumbled. I positioned my camera. This was going to be good.

"You're right . . . I shouldn't have underestimated you before!" said Kiyo. His red book began to glow. My finger was itching to push the button on my camera.

"ZAKER!"

_Click._

I took the picture just as the Zaker attack hit Folgore and the Kanchome cannon. I was so giddy about how cool this picture was going to be, that I almost missed Folgore freaking out, saying that he couldn't take any more lightning, and that "Poruk" was the only spell he and Kanchome had.

"Wow," Hobbes said to me. "These guys really are weak."

But I was too busy looking at Kanchome. He was crying. He looked quite embarrassed. Then, all of the sudden, a determined look appeared on his face. He started to grab candy out of his pocket and shove it furiously down his throat. Then I looked back at Folgore. And I noticed something strange. His book was glowing! Had Kanchome's power increased?

"Really?" Folgore asked, breaking me from my thoughts. "You'll let us go?" Kiyo nodded. But just as they were about to leave.

"Wait!" said Kanchome, stepping out in front of Folgore. "I still want to fight."

Well, that got Folgore telling Kanchome that he wasn't a lightning rod, and he showed the duck-billed boy just how badly burnt his chest was.

"Okay then . . . " said Kanchome, stepping back into the battle area. "I'll take the shocks!" Then he started to sing another song.

"_Iron Man Kanchome,_

_Invincible Kanchome_ . . . "

"Back in the Mamodo world, Zatch was a weakling, just like me!" Kanchome started to explain as he pumped his arm up and down. "That's why I had Folgore take me all the way here, to Japan! Because I knew I could defeat a runt like Zatch! But he's gotten so strong! I don't want to be a weakling forever! I want to be strong and cool, just like Folgore!"

This gave Folgore a confidence boost as well. And before we knew it, Folgore was singing along with Kanchome.

Kiyo, however, didn't seem impressed. He looked more like he just wanted to deliver the final blow and get it over with. But just as he was flipping the pages of his book . . .

"Hey, Kanchome! Look!" exclaimed Folgore, looking in his book. "A new page in the book! I can read it! A new spell!"

Kiyo's face went pale. I began to get nervous, too. "_A new spell?_" I thought. "_Then that means Kiyo is gonna have no idea what it does! What's he gonna do to stop them?_"

Well, I was about to get my answer.

"The second spell, Koporuk!" yelled Folgore.

The room filled with smoke again. I couldn't see anything, but I could've sworn I heard Kiyo cast Rashield. "_Better safe than sorry . . . _" I thought.

But when the smoke cleared, we all seemed to get a shock. Kanchome was gone! Vanished! But then . . .

"Hey!" we all heard a tiny voice yell. "I'm over here!"

I looked closely at the floor . . . and couldn't believe my eyes. There, now about as small as a mouse, was Kanchome. His new spell made him shrink!

It took all of my strength to stifle the laughs wanting to burst out of my throat. Kanchome's new spell had made him weaker! And now he was running all over the room, Kiyo and Zatch trying in vain to catch him. Folgore just stood there, flabbergasted.

Finally, Kiyo stood up. "Zatch, go get a frying pan. . ." he said, clutching his head.

By the time Kiyo was done, he had set a pretty good trap for Kanchome. He had tied a big chocolate bar to the frying pan with a piece of string. Kiyo, Zatch, and Folgore stood and waited, while Hobbes and I remained on the bed.

All of the sudden, we watched Kanchome climb up Kiyo's desk, right to the frying pan. "Wow, a bed made of chocolate!" he exclaimed. And when he got close enough . . .

"Jikerdor!" Kiyo yelled. Before I knew it, Kanchome's body was stuck to the frying pan.

"_Jikerdor?_" I thought. "_Kiyo must have gotten a new spell!_"

Then . . . that was that. Folgore left as fast as he came, carrying a crying Kanchome with him.

* * *

A little afterwards, Kiyo had gotten himself an ice pack, and was sitting at his desk. Zatch was sitting on the floor next to him. By now, it was pretty dark out.

"Uh . . . I'm gonna go to bed," I said, taking Hobbes and heading for the door.

"Okay," said Kiyo. "Good night."

Hobbes looked at me funny as soon as we were out of Kiyo's room.

"What?" I asked.

"You didn't tell them that we're leaving!" said Hobbes.

"Oh, yeah," I said. "Well, I think I'm just going to do it the simple way."

"And what's that way?" asked Hobbes.

I performed the simple way as soon as I made myself comfortable on the couch. I ripped out a piece of paper from the back of my journal and began to write.

_Dear Kiyo and Zatch,_

_Hobbes and I just wanted to say how grateful we are that you were able to take us in these past few days. We didn't really have any place to go, and you were kind enough to give us a place to stay. And we thank you for that. But we're going home now. Please don't be sad. Maybe we'll see each other again someday._

_Your new friends, Calvin and Hobbes._

Then I went back to my journal to write my daily entry.

_Day 10:_

_Well, this adventure is coming to an end. Hobbes and I have found a new box, and now we're going to go home. But at least we had an exciting last day. We watched Zatch and Kiyo fight this weirdo Italian guy named Folgore and his Mamodo Kanchome. It was pretty exciting. I've left a note for Kiyo and Zatch, and Hobbes and I are leaving first thing tomorrow morning. I hope they'll be able to understand. This is Calvin, signing out._

I then snuggled up next to Hobbes and fell asleep.


	14. One Last Adventure

Well, this is it. The sun is just rising. I want to get out of here before the others wake up. Finally, after more than ten days, Hobbes and I are going home.

I look over at my friend, who's still sound asleep. He looks so peaceful sprawled out there on Kiyo's couch. Now who would be so cruel as to wake him up from this peaceful slumber?

I would!

I softly shake my friend. "Hobbes?" I whispered.

"Uhhh . . . " comes the response. He opens one eye. "What, we're leaving now?"

"Yep," I said. "It's moving day."

"Doesn't "day" actually need to involve sunlight?" asked Hobbes, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

"Aw, quit whining, you big baby," I said. "The sun's just rising. Now, we're going to get some breakfast, then we're taking off. Okay?"

"Fine, fine," said Hobbes. "Do you have all the stuff?"

"Yeah, I got it all here," I said, showing him everything I had kept in the house. "I put the note where they could see it, too. Let's go."

Hobbes and I slowly and softly slip off the couch, then sneak over to the door and step outside.

"Here, I got this stuff," said Hobbes, taking my things and heading for our new Travel Pod.

However, I stop on the sidewalk. I take one last look at Kiyo's house. I look up to where Kiyo's room would be. It was just days ago that there was a big gaping hole in it from a bolt of lightning . . .

"Oh my gosh. Calvin, you gotta look at this!"

Hobbes sounded like he was trying to stifle a laugh. I walked over to where my friend was standing . . . and my eyes widened. There, on the side of our new Travel Pod made from Folgore's box, scrawled in big loopy letters over my words TRAVEL POD, were the words PARCO FOLGORE.

"Now we'll really be taking a piece of Japan home with us," said Hobbes, putting the rest of our things into the Travel Pod.

"How the heck did he know?" I asked.

"Who cares?" asked Hobbes. "We're supposed to be getting breakfast, remember?"

"Oh . . . yeah," I said. "We'd better get going." And with that, Hobbes and I jumped into our new Travel Pod.

"What about our old one?" asked Hobbes, pointing to the almost completely ruined old Travel Pod still hidden discreetly in Kiyo's bushes.

"Oh, if they find it, they can do whatever they want with it," I said, not looking back. "I really don't care."

Hobbes and I felt the Travel Pod gently lift off the ground, then we were off to the nearest café.

"Hey, what happens if somebody sees us?" asked Hobbes after we were a good distance above the ground.

"They report it as a UFO and nobody will believe them," I responded. I could hear my friend laughing behind me.

* * *

Luckily, nobody spotted us. And soon, Hobbes and I were eating breakfast in a small restaurant in the city. But we didn't take long because we had to leave the Travel Pod outside, and I didn't want anything to be stolen. 

After eating our last meal in Japan, Hobbes and I took the Travel Pod into a nearby alley, then took off in there so we could avoid a scene.

* * *

"Take one last look, Hobbes," I said as we reached the edge of Mochinoki City. "After this, it's only a matter of time before we're home." 

"See ya!" Hobbes yelled at the city. Then he looked down. "Hey, there's the hill where we crashed, remember?"

"Uh huh," I mumbled. I didn't feel like looking.

"Why don't we go down there and take one last look, for old time's sake?" asked Hobbes.

I sighed. "Fine . . . " I said. "Prepare to land."

* * *

Pretty soon, Hobbes and I found ourselves back on the same hill where we had first crashed more than ten days ago. 

"Wow, what a view!" said Hobbes. "And you can still see the indentations in the ground from when we crashed. Can you believe that this is where this whole thing began?"

"Yeah," I said, looking out at the city. "It's real . . . "

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The sudden scream made both my companion and me jump. "What'd you do that for?" I asked my friend, a little annoyed.

"Hey, don't look at me," said Hobbes. "You're the one who screams like a little girl!"

"Now you know that wasn't me," I shot back. "It came from back there." I turned around and looked behind me. There, a few feet away, was a gigantic forest.

"Do you think somebody's in there?" asked Hobbes.

"Well, if you didn't scream, and I didn't scream, there must be somebody there," I said, getting back into the Travel Pod. "Let's check it out."

"I hear you," said Hobbes, jumping in behind me.

* * *

When Hobbes and I entered the forest, we didn't see anything out of the ordinary at first. But when we got deeper into the forest, we both caught the smell of something burning. We followed the scent the best we could, and it lead us right to a spot next to a small river. 

"It's a fire," said Hobbes. Sure enough, there were the remains of a small campfire, already put out.

"And from the looks of it, it's just been put out," I said, watching the small clouds of smoke spitting out of the remains. "There's somebody here, all right . . . "

"EEEEWWWW! What is that?"

I looked over at Hobbes. There, right in front of him, was the giant skeleton of an animal. From what I could make of it, the skeleton was that of an alligator.

"From what I can tell," I said, looking at the skeleton and then back at the fire, "I'd say that this was somebody's lunch."

Hobbes and I looked at each other for a second. Then we both let out just what we were thinking.

"EEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW!"

After that, we looked at each other again . . . and started laughing! "_Well,_" I thought, "_I guess we're going to have one last adventure before all of this is over._"

Just then, Hobbes' ears perked. He turned his head toward something, but I couldn't see what it was.

"What?" I asked.

"I think somebody's yelling," said Hobbes, trying to focus. "And I think I recognize one of the voices."

"Then let's go!" I said, motioning to Hobbes to join me in the Travel Pod.

* * *

As Hobbes and I got closer to the voices, I began to hear them, too. And for some strange reason, I began to find one of the voices familiar, too. But from where? Let's see . . . it's a girl's voice . . . she sounds a bit older than me . . . 

Then it hit me. I immediately remembered where I had heard the voice before.

No. No way. There's just no way they could be here. Not here.

But all my fears were proven real when Hobbes and I got to a small clearing. We stopped the Travel Pod at some trees near the clearing.

I couldn't believe my eyes. There's no way she could be here. But she is! Why on earth is Sherry battling a Mamodo here?

She and Brago are right in the heat of a battle. The other guy is a tan guy with an orange shirt and shorts on, and his Mamodo looks like a walking tree with a face. There were trees with faces everywhere. I guessed they were one of the walking tree's spells.

Even worse, Sherry looked awful. She was all pale and very frazzled. She wasn't even standing up! She wasn't holding the book! Which meant Brago was having to defend himself and Sherry with his own strength so neither of them would get hurt.

Oh, how I wanted to run out and help! But what could I do? I'm just a kid, and I have no business with these battles. So why does it feel like my business? It's taking all my strength to keep from screaming. Instead, I reach for my camera.

I look over at Hobbes. He's dumbstruck, too. He's standing there with his mouth hanging wide open.

I catch something with the corner of my eye, then turn back to the battle. Oh! Sherry's standing up! Oh, she looks so sick! I want to help, but I can't! Instead, I adjust the focus on my camera, because Sherry's book is glowing like crazy. Perfect.

"ION GRAVI REI!"

_Click._

The explosion afterwards is deafening. A _huge _beam is coming from Brago's hand, and from what I can tell, it's crushing everything in its path. Even worse, it's starting to move right toward us!

"RUN AWAY!" I heard Hobbes scream as he grabbed me in one paw and the Travel Pod in the other and started running in the opposite direction. As he ran, I focused on the spell and its destruction, using up all but one more of my pictures in the process.

Everything's blurring together. Sherry's screaming, trees being flattened, Hobbes panting. It's all too much. I want it to stop. I WANT IT ALL TO STOP! All of the sudden, Hobbes does a nose dive, and I land on my back.

For a second, I can't move. And I don't want to. I just want to sit there and cry. Hot tears are running down my face. I'm not hurt at all, but I feel awful all the same. Oh, how I wish I could have helped Sherry somehow!

Sherry! Is she okay? I suddenly stand up and run back to the clearing, Hobbes hot on my tail. Then I stop.

Brago's walking away with an unconscious Sherry on his back. If I don't do this now, I'll probably regret it for the rest of my life. I focus my camera one more time. My last picture.

_Click._

"That's the girl from before, huh?" asked Hobbes when he finally caught up with me.

All I can do is nod. I'm crying too hard to answer.

"You like her." It's not a question.

I nod again.

I look up at my friend. One thing's on my mind. "Let's go home."

We walk back to the Travel Pod in silence.

* * *

Now we're finally taking off for real. We're going home. As I look down at the ocean below me, I think of everything that's happened in the last few days. Meeting Zatch and Kiyo, learning about the Mamodos, Sherry and Brago, Kolulu, Kanchome . . . it's all so much to take in. And it's exhausting. I make myself comfortable in the Travel Pod. I don't even know how fast I fell asleep . . . 


	15. Epilogue

". . .vin. CALVIN!"

I awoke with a start. What had happened? Where were we? I stood up in the Travel Pod. I felt solid ground underneath me. We must have landed already. I looked over the side of the Travel Pod. We were back in my back yard. Was that Mom calling me? Aw, man. What's she going on about now? I'd better go see what she wants. I quickly shook Hobbes awake and we both ran to see what she wanted.

"What?" I asked.

"Where on earth have you two been all day?" asked my mom. "I've been calling you for hours!"

"We . . . " I began, then stopped. "Wait a minute. Did you say 'all day'?"

"Yes, all day," my mom answered. "I was beginning to worry. Where were you?"

I was shocked. We couldn't have been gone for only one day. We were in Japan for more than ten days . . . right?

I looked at my mom. "Well, we . . . "

Wait. Maybe this isn't such a good idea. I mean, it's not like my mom has believed any of my other adventures in the past. She always just shrugged them off and said I had too much free time. How would this one be any different?

"We . . . uh . . . were just playing all day. In the woods," I heard myself say.

"Well, tell me next time," said Mom, walking away. "I don't want to have to worry about you."

As soon as Mom was gone, I checked my watch. It was still on Japan time. I ran back to the Travel Pod, Hobbes at my heels. It was all still there. The money Sherry gave us, Folgore's CD, my camera, my journal entries. Everything. It wasn't a dream. Even the Travel Pod I had made from Folgore's box was still the same. I looked at my camera.

"Hobbes, we need to develop this film," I said. "We need to do it now!"

* * *

An hour later, my photos were developed, and Hobbes and I had taken everything back up to my room. And, probably for the only time ever in my life, I had willingly taken a bath. I was still a mess from only having one set of clothes in Japan. 

Hobbes and I were now seated on my bed. I was looking through all the pictures I had taken on our trip. There was one of the hole in the wall Zatch made in Kiyo's house. Then there was the one where Zatch blew the school's roof off. The electric icicles. Sherry and Brago. The botanical gardens. Kolulu. Zatch and Kiyo during the battle with Kolulu. The battle with Shin. The battle with Kanchome and Folgore. The rest were of the battle between Sherry and Brago and the tree Mamodo.

Then I looked through all of my journal entries. From Day one, when we first saw Zatch riding a hawk into the city in his underwear, to Day ten, when we had finally found a new box and decided to set out for home the next day.

I looked at the CD that crazy Folgore gave us. Then I looked at the envelope from Sherry, note and money still inside.

"It wasn't a dream . . . " I mumbled. I put everything from our adventure into a small box, then put it on the lowest shelf in my closet, where it was easily reachable. I then stuffed the Travel Pod in after it and shut the door.

"Yeah," said Hobbes as I got back up onto my bed. "I doubt that even you could make something up as crazy as that."

"I'm going to miss Zatch and Kiyo," I said.

"Well, in the note you wrote them, you said that we might meet each other again," said Hobbes. "Maybe we will."

"Yeah. Maybe . . . " my voice trailed off. I laid down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. _Would _we ever see our friends Zatch and Kiyo again? Or even Sherry and Brago, or Folgore and Kanchome? I sighed. I guess this is a case not even Tracer Bullet could solve. Only time would tell, I suppose.

Just then, Hobbes sat up. It seemed he had just remembered something. "Hey Calvin," he said. I looked at my friend. "Isn't your birthday in a few weeks?"

* * *

**Author's note:** Well, that's the end of Calvin and Hobbes' adventure with Mamodos . . . for now. I might make a sequel, and I might not. I'm leaning more toward Yes, but if I do, I still need to come up with a plot for it. Until then, I'm planning on working on a new story: a parody of the book _Holes_. I'm planning on using Eddy from "Ed Edd n Eddy" as Stanley, but I still need to decide on other characters (Warden, D tent boys (with nicknames), etc.) If you have any suggestions for characters, send them to me. They don't have to be just "Ed Edd n Eddy" characters. Numerous shows mean numerous possibilities. Go to my profile page for more details. Until then, happy reading!** -AMX**


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